Just a Matter of Physics
by Vadergirl52
Summary: “Whoa there, Booth! Watch where you’re pointing that thing! You could poke someone’s eye out!” Jack Hodgins exclaimed. “Or really turn someone on,” Angela Montenegro added, laughing musically. I hate summaries...hope this works for you! :-
1. Chapter 1

I do own a great poster of Booth and Brennan, but that's about it. SIGH

_**Just a Matter of Physics**_

"Whoa there, Booth! Watch where you're pointing that thing! You could poke someone's eye out!" Jack Hodgins exclaimed.

"Or really turn someone on," Angela Montenegro added, laughing musically.

"It's not high enough to do any damage to someone's optical nerve," Zach Addy replied, happily tasting the concoction Angela had placed in front of him in her latest attempt to teach some social skills to the misfit genius.

"Well, it's certainly in a position to light a fire _somewhere_," Angela retorted.

Seeley Booth straightened up and set his pool stick on the floor. Sighing, he turned to look at the trio sitting mock-innocently at the table behind him. "You see? _This_ is why Squints shouldn't go to bars that aren't 'yuppied up'. You have no clue about the intricacies of navigating around pool tables and dart boards. _Especially_ dart boards," Booth added, fixing a rather stern glare at Zach who hiccupped lightly and frowned.

"How was I to know that a public establishment serving copious amounts of alcohol would consider it a _**good**_thing to allow its intoxicated patrons to throw sharpened projectiles across a room?"

Booth sighed again and tuned back to the table to make his final shot against Dr. Camille Saroyan. Just as he slid his stick forward in a shot, Angela called out to the newly arriving Dr. Temperance Brennan, "Hey, Bren! You're just in time to see Booth shooting his balls!"

Hodgins snorted his drink through his nose, Cam snickered, and Booth completely missed his shot, sending the eight ball into the pocket instead of the one he had been aiming at.

"Now that was just wrong!" Booth complained. "Totally unfair!"

"Not for me. Angela, you're up," Cam laughed.

Dr. Temperance Brennan smiled at Booth's obvious agitation. "Since when has Angela ever played fair?"

Booth grumbled an inaudible reply and gratefully accepted the bottle of beer his partner handed to him as they sat down at the table they'd commandeered for the night. They were celebrating the successful completion of a case they'd been working on for weeks as well as Zach's birthday. They had chosen a far different bar than normal for tonight's celebration. It had been Angela's idea to stray from their normal club scene as she had wanted a less crowded setting where the women wouldn't be quite so picky about who they danced with. She was hoping to get Zach loosened up enough to ask someone to dance. Now that his hair had grown in a bit from that horrendous shaved style he had taken it upon himself to get (thinking he had to since he had gone to Iraq), he looked cute again: sort of a lost-and-confused-yet-incredibly-intelligent puppy look. If Angela plied him with enough alcohol, _**someone**_ was sure to dance with him!

"That's it, Babe! Kick her butt!" Jack egged on as Angela made a good shot.

"May I remind you I can fire you?" Cam replied good naturedly.

"If I go, she goes!" Jack countered and Angela straightened up.

"Who says?" She smiled at her fiancé and then shot him a pointed look. Jack turned to follow her gaze and saw Booth semi-reclining against the back of the booth seat, arms stretched out on either side and draped over the back of the high seat. This put Dr. Brennan rather close to him and, technically speaking, his right arm semi-around her. They were talking and Brennan didn't seem to notice the entire "Alpha Male" scene taking place right in front of her. Jack looked back at Angela who was now contemplating her next shot. She raised one eyebrow at him as if to say, "Whatcha think?" He smiled and shook his head. She was such a romantic.

As soon as Angela finished Cam off, she walked over to Booth and Brennan as Cam went to throw some money in the jukebox. "So, Booth…wanna try your luck against me?"

"Hell, no! After what you did to Cam?! My momma didn't raise a fool, Miss Pool Shark."

Brennan looked up. "I'll try it, Ange."

Booth looked at her in shock. "Bones, you sure you know what you're getting into? She's brutal!"

"It's really just a matter of physics and trajectories. How difficult could it be?" she replied. She took a long swallow of her beer and stood up, climbing over Booth and, in the process, grabbing his beer.

"Hey!"

She turned and grinned at him. "You weren't drinking it and I was thirsty."

Stunned by his partner's response, Booth found himself with no reply. This was shaping up to be an interesting evening!

Hodgins slid his chair around the table to sit closer to Booth. "Dude, this is one show I don't want to miss!"

Booth frowned in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"Dude! Just look!" Hodgins pointed.

Booth leaned forward and immediately saw what he was talking about. What he had failed to see as an active player in the game was the view their table afforded of the players. Angela was currently leaning over the table for the breaking shot and her plunging v-neck top was currently plunging somewhere towards her navel.

"You must be really nervous about that view," Booth said, gesturing towards the men at the other tables watching the game.

"No more so than you when the next shot comes up," Jack replied smugly. Almost on cue, Brennan moved to stand directly in front of the two and leaned over the table for her shot.

Booth wasn't sure what he couldn't stop staring at the most: his partner's well-rounded back-side suddenly a matter of two feet away or the peek of what was most definitely a hot pink thong just above the incredibly low-rise, skin-tight jeans she was wearing. He felt his face grow hot and he reached for his non-existent beer. Instead, he grabbed Hodgins' and downed it immediately, much to Jack's undisguised amusement. At the low whistle coming from one of the aforementioned men, Booth turned and glared until a cough was heard and one guy got up and headed towards the bar.

"I don't understand. Clearly, I needed to hit the white ball roughly twelve degrees right of the center and at approximately a twenty degree angle to the purple ball," Brennan was saying as said purple ball did not travel on its intended path.

Angela laughed as she made her next shot, purposefully wiggling her tail end in Jack's face as she leaned over the table. "Bren, it's not always about the math."

Brennan looked at Jack who was now surreptitiously running his hand up the back of Angela's thigh. "I still don't understand."

Jack never took his eyes off the view of his fiancé. "Don't ask me…I just think it's hot when two women play pool."

She sighed in frustration and turned her gaze on Booth. "Do you know what she means?"

"Well, I don't think you're holding the cue stick right. You're holding it too tight," Booth replied, standing up and examining her grip. "Let me see how you set up to shoot."

Brennan obliged, leaning over and bumping into Booth in the process. Sweet Jesus, was she _trying_ to kill him?! "No, Bones. Your stance is off. Stand a little looser and with your legs a little farther apart."

"What? Like this?" she asked, looking like an advancing Sumo wrestler.

Jack burst out in laughter and Zach and Cam returned from the jukebox. "What, exactly, are you attempting?" Cam asked, one eyebrow raised nearly into her hairline.

Booth took the stick from Brennan and showed her his stance. "See? Bend this knee a little more."

"I believe Booth is attempting to teach Dr. Brennan how to engage in an exotic mating ritual that a species of cockatoo practices," Zach laughed lightly.

"Oh my God…did Zach just make an attempt at cracking a joke?! Did anyone else hear that?!" Angela piped up.

"No, Bones! Oh for Pete's sake--here," Booth exclaimed in frustration as he watched his partner attempt a shot again. Without thinking about what he was doing, he moved behind her, placing his hand over hers on the cue stick. "You need to loosen up on your hold with your left hand and tighten a bit back here with your right hand. Now, bend this knee like this and lean over." Here, he moved his left knee just behind hers, gently pushing it out as he bent with her at her waist. It was right about then that he realized his mistake. He now had Brennan bent over the table in a _very_ compromising position. His cheeks flushed hotter and he was so close to her, he could smell her hair as he spoke quietly in her ear, "You have to be firm yet loose as it slides through your two fingers."

As soon as he had put his arms around her from behind, Brennan felt funny. She couldn't really define "funny" and that bothered her. But when he gently bent her down towards the table and she felt him pressed against her, that "funny" feeling took on an entirely different meaning. Her heartbeat increased and, as he whispered to her and his breath tickled her ear, she felt a shock somewhere between a shiver and a hot flash swipe through her body, tingling her scalp. She turned her face just a hair to the left and felt her cheek brush against his mouth. "Like this, Booth?" She murmured.

At the sound of his name whispered so huskily, Booth felt something in his stomach tighten and, to his utter astonishment and complete embarrassment, realized he was now thinking of her thong and how very close indeed he was to it. Straightening up quickly, Booth coughed and moved away so she could complete her shot. He did not, however, turn back around to face the table. "Yeah, like that. Try it now."

She finished her shot and the ball hit its intended target. She stood up and smiled, turning to her friends only to find them all--each and every one of them--staring at her, wide-eyed. Angela's mouth hung open and Jack started snickering when he saw Booth's discomfiture as he called over his shoulder, "I'm getting the next round. I'll be back."

Zach was slightly confused at what he'd just witnessed. "Wow. Booth is an extremely adept instructor. Do you think he'd consider teaching me?"

Cam snorted rather indelicately and Jack turned his eyes on his fellow Squint. "Dude, you are sooo clueless!"

Brennan looked between her four friends and realized she was still breathing a bit heavily. What had just happened?

"Angela, will you let me try?" Zach asked and Jack stood up.

"Dude, don't expect Ange to teach you like Booth!" As the two exchanged a few ideas on how to line up shots, Angela walked over to where Brennan was still standing.

"_**That**_was sooo hot!" She exclaimed quietly.

"Angela, what the hell happened? I don't think he even realized it until he was leaning over me…" Brennan stammered a bit to her best friend. "Angela--"

"Sweetie, he was completely turned on! Didn't you see how he refused to turn around? _You're_ the anthropologist here; think about what that means!" Angela cut her friend off.

As Angela turned back to her game, Brennan sat down at the table, still trying to puzzle out her reactions. They were fast becoming a source of total confusion for her. Her gaze went to where Booth was leaning against the bar as he waited for the bartender to complete his order. Something was changing between them and she couldn't figure out why or how: and that frustrated her.

Since Christmas, Brennan had been aware of odd things happening to her body whenever she was in Booth's presence. She had started noticing his cologne for one thing. She was aware of how her stomach would begin to tighten when she knew he was coming to the lab, how, lately, she had begun feeling an excited rush when he would pop unexpectedly into her office, and how she couldn't seem to control her smile when she saw him or heard his voice on the phone. Yes, it was Christmas that had started these changes in her. The mistletoe kiss had been interesting--a little startling--but not really what she was fixating on as a flash point. No--it was that evening when he and Parker had brought the tree to her and her family. While she had been too far away to really see his face with any great detail, his voice and body language spoke to her. There had been a different timbre and she felt rather than saw his penetrating eyes on her. Her throat had tightened as she watched him put his arm around Parker.

She had left for Peru later that evening and had been gone for just over a week. The entire time she was gone, she had found her mind wandering to Booth. Random things like, "What would he say about this?" or "How would he react to that?" would pop unbidden into her mind. When she was strolling through the market, she wondered what it would be like to have him there with her. And that had nearly driven her to distraction. She would refuse to allow herself to think about him! She even managed it long enough to go out for dinner with the good-looking archaeologist she had met on the dig. They'd hit it off and, after dinner, had gone back to her hotel. As soon as he had kissed her, it felt--well--wrong somehow. She _knew_ there was definitely something wrong when her mind slipped and allowed her sub-conscious to replace Diego with Booth. Her eyes had snapped open, she'd made a lame excuse and apology, and had all but thrown the confused man out of her room.

She was even more aggravated as she realized she hadn't been with a man since Sully; and Temperance Brennan had _never_ had any qualms about satisfying her sexual urges before. Damn that man!

Said man was now making his way back to the table. Brennan watched as he deftly avoided come-ons from two women and then smiled at the waitress who'd followed him with a tray of drinks as she handed him a slip of paper when he handed her a tip.

"Move over, Bones," he said as he slipped into the booth seat next to her. She obliged and, as he passed her a beer, he crumpled the paper and threw it into the empty plastic basket in which Hodgin's burger had been served.

"How much was it? It was really my turn to pay," Brennan commented, reaching for her purse.

"Don't worry about it."

She rolled her eyes at his "I'm-the-man-I-should-pay" attitude and reached into the basket for the crumpled receipt.

"Hey!" Booth exclaimed, reaching for it but Brennan was faster and snatched it away, opening it as she did.

"This isn't a receipt; it's a phone number," she frowned, confused at first, then realizing the implications. "The waitress gave you her number and you threw it away?"

Booth looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Yeah. Well, she was chatting with me for a while at the bar."

"But why did you throw it away?"

"Just because someone gives me their number doesn't mean _I'm_ interested," Booth replied.

"Yeah, but how long has it been since you were on a date? Wait a minute…it's been a long time hasn't it?" She pushed.

"It hasn't been _**that**_long! Thanks, Bones. I'm glad you're concerned about my love life!"

She sat quiet for a while, considering this. While he didn't have to share every detail of his personal life, she was pretty sure she'd know if he was seeing someone. "Not even a casual date or two?"

Booth squirmed a little in his seat. The last date he'd been on had been with Cam; and he'd broken that off ages ago. "I haven't seen you lining up the men any more, either!" He chose to reply instead.

Brennan frowned. "No, I haven't."

Booth looked satisfied. "See? I'm not the only one."

She was quiet for a few more moments and then she turned to face him. "Why?"

"Why what?" Booth took a long swallow of his beer.

"Why haven't you gone out with anyone? I mean, it's not like you aren't getting any offers," she clarified.

"Why haven't you?" Booth countered again, turning to look her back in the eye.

His brown eyes seemed to bore into her and suddenly Brennan's mouth was dry. She felt that tightening in her stomach again and hesitated. Should she say what she had been thinking? She wasn't positive of her people-reading skills even though she felt she knew Booth pretty well. She wasn't sure if she was picking up on him right. Any other man, she could fairly easily tell what sexual signals were being sent. But Booth? With him it didn't seem to be as clear cut. It seemed to be sexual, yet not…emotional yet not…so confusing that she couldn't be sure of herself; and that annoyed her even more.

"Well?" Booth pushed again, leaning in a bit. His eyes had an almost dangerous edge to them.

"I _love_ this song!! Come on, Bren!" Angela chose that moment to come back to the table and drag her friend to her feet.

Brennan turned to look at Booth, but his normal smile was back in place and he moved out of her way. "Have fun."

"Come with us, Booth!" Angela said.

"Oh no--that's okay. You two enjoy yourselves," he answered, sitting back down.

"Yeah, come dance with us," Brennan added, starting to feel like she'd imagined the look in Booth's eyes a moment ago.

"Tell you what--when I hear a song I really like, I'll come to you," he smiled.

Angela dragged Brennan onto the tiny dance floor with no further ado and they began dancing to Bob Seger.

"Wow," Jack commented. "I know Angie can dance, but I never realized the doc could knock 'em flat, too!"

Booth stole a glance towards the dance floor and noticed that "the doc" was indeed, shaking her booty for all it was worth.

"You know we're living many a man's dream right now, right?" Jack asked Booth.

Booth made a supreme effort to look away from the dance floor and even made the choice to turn his back towards them. "You know you're living dangerously right now, right?" he countered.

Jack smiled. "Yeah, but that's part of the charm, Dude!"

They spoke for a while and Jack got up for the next round of drinks. Cam sat for a little bit, slightly out of breath as she had been dancing with Angela and Brennan.

"Whew! It's hot in here…and getting hotter," she said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Why say that?" Booth asked.

Zach appeared by Cam's side, a little mussed from his attempt at dancing. "I believe Dr. Saroyan meant that more figuratively than literally…although with so many more men on the dance floor now, I suppose the actual temperature could have risen."

Turning, Booth saw exactly what he was talking about. It seemed that nearly half the bar's male patrons had suddenly decided that they were in the mood to dance. Angela and Brennan had attracted quite a few admirers. When a slow song came on, there were several offers. Booth's eyebrow shot up as Angela came back to the table but his partner stayed, selected a proffered hand, and began dancing to the acoustic version of "Layla".

"Now if that's not appropriate, I don't know what is!" Cam laughed as the lyrics, "You've got me on my knees" came from the jukebox.

Booth knew he should turn around and ignore what was being said, but he couldn't seem to drag his eyes away from the couple. It felt a little like déjà vu. The last time he'd seen her dancing with someone else, they were in a similar bar under similar circumstances. He'd been a little annoyed then, but that was nowhere near what he was feeling right now. It was taking a lot of self-control not to go up and rip her away from the guy. He watched the man's hand slide a hair farther down her back and immediately felt his jaw muscle tighten in response.

Angela poked jack and nodded towards Booth. He took one look at the quietly fuming FBI agent and gave a low whistle. "So, Booth--what do you think the Pirates' chances of getting to the World Series are this year?"

"Yeah," came Booth's distracted reply.

"Oh for God's sake, Seeley!" Cam breathed out in annoyance. "Just go dance already!"

Booth turned to look at her. "What are you talking about?"

Zach piped up as he finished his fourth (or was it fifth?) drink. "Dr. Saroyan is picking up on the body language you are currently exhibiting and is implying you should release your frustrations at the other men by 'marking' Dr. Brennan as yours." He blinked several times, looking rather owlish.

Everyone, Booth included, stared at Zach. Angela picked up his glass and sniffed it. Standing up, she said, "I'm getting you another whiskey sour. Who'd have thought this is what you needed?"

"What," Booth asked through slightly clenched teeth, "do you mean 'mark her'? You want me to lift my leg and pee on her?!"

"_**What**_ are you talking about?" Brennan asked as she re-appeared at the table.

Before Zach could repeat himself, Jack clamped a hand over his mouth. "Dude, not now!"

Brennan nudged Booth over as she sat next to him. "What did I miss?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you missed an atomic bomb going off," Booth whispered.

Brennan frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what? Forget it! You wouldn't understand anyhow," Booth snapped.

"O--kay then. I'm heading to the ladies' room," Cam said, moving away from the table.

"Um, Zach--let's go help Ange with the drinks," Jack said, pushing him out of the seat next to him.

When everyone had cleared out, Brennan looked at Booth again. "_**What**_ is going on?!"

"You're so engrossed in dancing that you're ignoring your friends," Booth said.

Brennan frowned. "Everyone was up dancing except you and Jack. How was that ignoring everyone?"

"You seemed to enjoy that slow dance to the point you had eyes--and hands--for no one else," Booth replied. As soon as he said it, he realized how petty it sounded, but it was like he'd lost control of his mouth.

"I didn't see you asking for a dance," she countered.

'How could I? I couldn't even get to you through that throng!"

"I'm going to ask you one more time, Booth. What the _**hell**_ is going on?! You've been acting like you're--" Here she trailed off. To admit she thought he was jealous would be admitting she thought he might be interested in her. If she was wrong--and she felt there was at least an even chance of that being the case--then she'd be more than embarrassed But if she was right--_**if she was right**_--well, that scared her more.

"Acting like I'm what?"

"Acting like you're a Neanderthal at the moment," Angela said smoothly as she placed two beers in front of them.

Brennan sat back, still staring at Booth. His face was unreadable. There was such a mix there; anger, a little hurt, and something else that she couldn't define. It almost looked dangerous.

From the jukebox Cher began belting out, "If you wanna know," and as Angela joined in with, "If he loves you so, it's in his kiss," another willing dance partner approached and asked Brennan to dance. Casting a defiant look at Booth, she stood up and made her way to the dance floor.

Booth took a long drink from his beer and began peeling the label from the bottle. Angela laid her hand on his arm, but he didn't look at her.

"Booth, when are you going to stop dancing around this?" She asked quietly.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Angela."

She sighed. "Take this for what it's worth. You know Bren better than most of us: even more than she knows herself. She's terrible at reading people, but even if she wasn't, the crazy signals you're sending are enough to confuse even me."

He looked at her. "You think you know me?" It was a challenge.

"Not completely, but I know enough to know you're falling for her and trying not to. You don't sleep around. When you get into a relationship, it's with some idea of permanence. And when you lose that, it kills you. She has a lot of crazy ideas of what a relationship is supposed to be because _**everyone**_ seems to leave her. If she ever had a real relationship with someone who truly loves her, she'd be a different person. God, Booth--she's so confused by what she feels for you because she's never experienced this before. Don't let some stupid, self-imposed rule about crossing a line at work prevent you from finding each other! You're both entirely too professional to allow something in your personal lives to interfere with your professional ones."

Booth's eyes met Angela's. She saw many things in those dark eyes…mostly trepidation but colored with hope. He didn't say anything for what seemed like an hour and then "Vehicle" came on and he broke both his silence and their gaze. "Excuse me…I feel like dancing."

The pounding beat served as a background for Booth's steps as he got to the dance floor and grabbed Brennan's hand to spin her around to face him. The driving music pushed them together and before either was really aware of it, his hands went to her waist and he pulled her so that their hips met and he began to grind against her in time to the music. It took only a second or two for Brennan to react by sliding her hands up his chest to lock behind his neck. In his next move, Booth took one hand off her waist and laced fingers with her hand behind his neck, bringing it down and around, still keeping his hips in time with hers. In one fluid movement he turned her so that he was behind her with his arm wrapped around her. His free hand went down to her waist and continued to rock her for a few more beats until he spun her out and away from him, only to pull her back, this time taking both her hands in his.

Brennan was too shocked at first to react in any way but to follow his lead. Now she saw that look in his eyes again. As her mind tried to process everything she was seeing and feeling, she closed her eyes. Her heart was racing and she suddenly became acutely aware of every place her body came into contact with his. The surprisingly soft skin of his left hand contrasting with the callouses on his right--the feel of his chest against hers--and then she felt him hard against her. Her eyes flew open at this revelation and locked with his. They were boring into hers and suddenly she was able to place the look; it was one of a predator stalking its prey. And she felt very much like prey right now. The smoldering intensity of the look ignited something within her and she released his hands so she could grab his hips. They didn't stay there for long, though. Deciding she could always later blame the alcohol she had consumed, she allowed her hands to slide around to the small of his back and then slowly let them slide down so that her thumbs hooked into his belt and the rest of her fingers splayed out and down, gently grazing an area just short of what could honestly be considered his buttocks. One of his eyebrows raised and a small smile played around his lips, making him look even more dangerous.

The song came to an end and they stood locked together like that for a few moments. Neither said anything. Booth's thoughts were centered on two things: surprise he had danced with her the way he had without eliciting a right hook to his jaw and shock that he was so completely turned on by this side of the woman in front of him.

Brennan tried to vocalize her thoughts. "That was--I mean your dancing--I--," she decided to shut her totally uncooperative mouth rather than make a further ass of herself.

Before either could say another word, the beginning strains of "All the Way" were heard from the jukebox and the sexual look in Booth's eyes softened as he reached down for her hands. "How about one more?"

Brennan nodded once and gently he pulled her into a rocking embrace so different from their last dance. At first, Booth held her right hand in his left as his other arm wrapped around her waist. He hadn't taken his eyes from hers yet. He'd listened to everything Angela had said and now he was willing Brennan to see how he felt. Hell, he wasn't even totally sure how he felt himself. He never knew he could go from anger to desire to--whatever _**this**_ was--so quickly. And what was this? Staring into her eyes he saw so many things that made him want to just take her and show her what she'd been missing—what _**he'd**_ been missing. Because as much as he believed what he'd told her about finding that person you could be one with, he'd never found her. Looking into Brennan's blue eyes and seeing that wall she always kept in place nearly gone, Booth finally acknowledged there was something happening between them--something much more than friendship and something so much deeper than anything he'd experienced before, he couldn't find words to describe it.

He watched as she swallowed and lowered her gaze. Letting go of her hand he tilted her chin up, although she kept her eyes averted, "What, Bones? Tell me," he whispered softly.

At the sound of his voice, she met his gaze and he saw the struggle she was having cross her face before she finally said, "I don't know what this means."

He couldn't contain the smile that crept over his face. God, this woman could drive him crazy! Seeing her eyes start to slip away from his he changed his position, pulling her body tight to his so that her ear was next to his mouth. "I don't either," he whispered. He felt her body relax into his and her hands slide up to his shoulders.

She could feel the hardness of his chest--the definition in his shoulders--as she held on to him. She recognized fully now that there was an open attraction between them. She knew she had never felt this strongly about any man she'd ever been with before. Everything about him was so powerful: his body, his look, the way the scent of him was affecting her--he was so _**alive**_ and had made her feel that way, too. But as she laid her head on his shoulder, for a moment allowing herself to be the more docile of the two, she couldn't help but keep thinking, "Oh my God, this is Booth!"

As the song came to an end, Booth reluctantly began to pull away. They stood there for a few moments, simply looking at each other. Another song started, a fast one, and Booth said something.

"I'm sorry, what?" Brennan asked.

Booth leaned in and she felt her body react as his breath teased her ear. "I said, do you want to leave?"

In the space of a split second, Brennan's stomach shot up to her throat as her heart started working double time. She pulled far enough away to look at him. His eyes had the beginnings of that dangerous look again and now she realized it for what it was: desire.

Booth watched her cautiously, hoping he hadn't pushed things too far too quickly. There was a subtle change in those eyes of hers and something he couldn't quite read manifested itself in them. Hope, fear, and something else simmering there shot straight to his heart, making him want to hold her. Before he could worry that he had crossed a line, though, she leaned back in to whisper in his ear. Her one word, "Yes," came from parted lips that lightly grazed his earlobe and then, still slightly parted, slowly brushed against his jaw line as she pulled back, barely slipping against the corner of his mouth before her eyes once again met his.

His scalp was left tingling and the rush of desire that swept through his body left a burning heat to settle below his stomach and fan out even lower. Before he could say anything else, she took his hand, turned away, and left the dance floor.

As they drew near the table, Brennan prepared herself for Angela's imminent squealing. She was sure she'd seen everything. She looked up and saw her friend staring at her, but not quite in the way she expected. She was definitely saying something and shaking her head emphatically, seeming to gesture to someone sitting next to Cam. Brennan frowned, not understanding her friend and walked up to the table.

"What's wrong?" Booth asked, noticing Angela's angst-filled faced.

The man next to Cam stood up and Booth immediately felt like he'd been kicked in the gut.

"Hi, Tempe," Sully said, smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

_I realized I lied in my chapter one disclaimer…I actually own a poster, the first two seasons of "Bones" on DVD, a t-shirt, and two really cool coffee mugs (a Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab one and one that's got the show's logo on it). That's all I own of "Bones". I swear._

_**Just a Matter of Physics – Chapter II**_

The next morning was bright and crisp. Spring was definitely here, but there was still an occasional nip to the morning air. Brennan walked briskly from her car to the Jeffersonian, watching her breath make little puffs in the chilly air. Chilly didn't even begin to describe the mood that had descended last night after Sully's surprise arrival.

Apparently, the FBI had called him in as a consultant on a case they were working on out of a separate division. They'd needed his profiling skills and he'd agreed to come in. He figured he'd be around for four to six weeks; wasn't that great?

As Brennan reached the door and swiped her ID card, she again ran through the rest of last night. After chatting for a little while, it was obvious that Sully wanted to pick up from where they had left off. He'd given her a hug and a kiss, albeit on the cheek, and moved over to give her room to sit. Booth immediately sat on her other side and they'd both stretched their arms on the back of the booth seat behind her. Cam had suddenly been taken with a fit of laughter and had excused herself. Upon seeing her friend's discomfiture, Angela excused herself to go to the bathroom, taking Brennan with her.

When they'd returned from the restroom, Booth was standing up to put his jacket on. She'd stopped and looked at him, not sure what she was supposed to do now. What exasperated her even more was that Sully had stood up as well. Booth looked at her and pointedly told her he was going home. Sully looked at her and then handed her a piece of paper, telling her (and everyone else) that he was staying at the Hampton Inn and here was a number she could reach him at. Then, after the very male challenge, both turned and left. Angela had started to say something, but Brennan put her coat on and told her friend she'd see her in the morning. As she left, she heard Angela asking Jack what had happened while they were gone and heard him reply, "You're not going to believe this."

As she got to her office, Brennan set her bag on a chair and tossed her keys onto her desk. She wanted coffee and needed to find Angela. Making her way to the little kitchenette to get her coffee, she saw Angela already pouring two cups.

"Good morning."

Angela turned and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. Is it? You tell me." She handed the second cup of coffee to Brennan and leaned against the counter.

"If you're fishing for what I did last night, don't bother. I went home," Brennan replied.

Angela looked at her friend for a few moments. "So--what do you think?" I mean--how do you feel about all of this?"

Brennan took a sip of her coffee. "What I think is they're both acting like teenagers--or, as you put it last night, Neanderthals--I'm not sure which is a better description."

"Sweetie, you don't know the half of it. After you left, Jack filled me in on what happened while we were gone. You want to talk about 'Alpha-Male tendencies'? Apparently, Booth interrogated Sully: asked him things like where's he been, what's he been doing, why he couldn't have called you or at least sent you a postcard. Then he launched into a whole sermon about him leaving you and didn't he realize what that did to you? Then Sully was like, 'So are you telling me you _**finally**_ got your head out of your ass and are seeing Tempe'?" Here, Angela paused for effect. "Do you know what Booth said? 'I don't see how any of this is your business. You gave up your rights to ask questions when you left her!'"

Brennan sighed. "This is ridiculous. What am I supposed to do about this? I mean--well, you saw how Booth was acting last night."

The two friends made their way back to Brennan's office. Angela sat in a chair as Brennan sat on the couch, leaning back into the cushions. "I don't like this. This is _**exactly**_ why humans should just forego all the dictates placed on them by society to curb healthy sexual appetites."

Angela raised her eyebrow again. "Bren, are you trying to tell me that you're interested in them _**both**_?"

Brennan sighed again. "I don't know, Ange. I mean I used to feel differently about Sully. I think I started to trust him just when he decided to leave. It's like every time I let myself care about someone, they disappear. My parents, my brother, the few relationships I've had--they all leave."

"But your father and brother both came back. And what about Booth?" Angela persisted.

Brennan put her cup down and ran her hand through her hair at the question. Yes, what about Booth? Add more confusion to this mess. What had started to happen last night was undeniably real. She couldn't pretend it hadn't happened. There had been more than flirting last night and had she actually agreed to leave with him? What would have happened if Sully hadn't arrived?

"Bren? What happened on the dance floor last night?" Angela asked quietly, not in her normal, "I've-got-to-know" way.

"I'm not really sure. One minute we were dancing and the next we were getting ready to leave."

"Ready to leave? Like as in 'together'? As in 'let's go back to my place'?" Angela's voice rose in pitch a little.

"I think so. But I could be wrong about that. I know we flirted and kind of crossed a line," Brennan started.

"Sweetie, it would have been odd if you _**hadn't**_ flirted! Good Lord, the sexual tension between you two is enough to mess up Air Traffic Control's instruments all over the DC area!"

"He's the one who drew the line in the first place. I respected his decision. But he's the one who changed his mind last night. Whatever the situation, I'm not sure exactly what he had in mind last night. He could have just wanted pie at the diner," Brennan tried to rationalize.

"Oh, he was probably thinking of something sweet with whipped cream all right, but I doubt it was pie. Not the way you two were dancing. Not to mention the whole pool-playing lesson! God, I think everyone in the group was turned on by that little trick!" Angela quipped.

"Well, I'm trying to put them both out of my mind. I've got to get four more chapters of my new book done by Monday." Here, Brennan stood up and went to her desk, turning her computer on.

Angela stood up and took both Brennan's and her coffee cups. "I don't think you're going to be able to put either one out of your mind for very long. You have to know they'll be coming around any minute now. Good luck on your book."

As Angela left, Brennan sighed and stared after her friend for a while. She had the feeling Angela was right. Sighing, she focused on her computer screen, opening her document and starting to read over what she had written the other day. She couldn't force her mind to cooperate, though, and she found herself going back to last night yet again. At this rate, she'd be finishing her book some time next year! She sat back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose, blowing out yet another sigh.

"Long night?" came a questioning voice from her door.

Looking up, Brennan saw Sully leaning against the doorway, hands in his pockets, a look somewhere between a smile and a grimace on his face.

"Yes, it was," she replied, leaning forward in her chair again.

"I see," Sully nodded, not really "seeing" at all. "Can I come in?"

"Sure. How's your case coming?" she asked, picking up a pen and tapping it on her blotter.

"I'm actually headed in right now. I just wanted to stop by and see what you were up to. I was disappointed that I didn't hear from you last night," Sully supplied, sitting down in a chair on the other side of her desk.

"Sorry, but it was late and I knew I had to be in early today." She was a little irritated. He'd left her--made his decision. Did he think he could just come back into her life for a few weeks and pick up from where they'd left off? Maybe if they'd only had a physical relationship, it would be different. But she'd begun to allow herself to feel more for him and he'd left her: like everyone else in her life seemed to do.

"So you went home then?" Sully asked, his voice raising in hope.

Before Brennan could say anything, Booth appeared at her door. When she saw him, her stomach tightened and flipped a little: something that hadn't happened when Sully appeared. Her eyes met his and for the briefest moment she saw a flicker of what she'd seen last night. But as his eyes left hers and lighted on Sully, they hardened and his posture stiffened.

"Bones, we've got a case," he said curtly.

Sully turned to look at Booth. "Morning, Booth."

Booth nodded once. "Morning." He turned and looked back at his partner. "So, are you up to going out in the field today?"

Brennan's excitement at seeing him turned sour. The implication wasn't lost on her. This male posturing was going to get old real fast! Instead of answering him, she stood up and went to her closet to retrieve her field bag. As she moved passed Sully, she said, "Sorry. Guess we'll have to continue this conversation later."

As she started to follow Booth, Sully spoke out. "Hey, Temperance--how about dinner tonight?"

She saw the subtle shift in Booth's posture and decided she could play his game, too. "Sure. Stop by later and I'll be able to give you an idea of what time would be good."

* * *

They spent the trip out to the wooded area on the outskirts of Arlington in complete silence. After Booth had filled her in on what he knew, he shut up tighter than a clam and Brennan gave up trying to speak to him. She knew he was stewing about Sully but she decided there was no way she was going to offer up any information.

The crime scene was already heavy with police, FBI, and reporters. A couple from Massachusetts had been hiking when they'd literally stumbled across the limbless torso of the victim. The police had called in the FBI when they'd discovered an arm and leg roughly thirty yards in either direction from the body.

"These remains are still too fleshy for me to do anything but a cursory exam here." Brennan was kneeling down, examining the torso. "We've got to get everything back to the lab. All I can ascertain is the victim is male, probably mid-twenties to mid-thirties and, from the surrounding area by the torso, it appears he was dismembered here." Brennan looked up at Booth. "I'm done here."

Booth nodded, grimacing as he looked again at the torso. "Go get cleaned up, Bones. I'll get them to bag everything." His voice was more compassionate than earlier. This had been one of the more gruesome sites they'd come across.

In the car on the way back, Booth found himself dwelling again on the whole Sully issue. To make matters worse, she was going out to dinner with him tonight. Why was she willing to set herself up to be hurt again? The more he thought about how she was allowing Sully back into her life, the more he got angry. She didn't deserve to be treated like this.

Brennan noticed Booth's hands gripping the wheel tightly and saw the muscle in his jaw twitching. Something was beginning to bother him: and she was pretty sure it was Sully. She sighed. "What?"

Booth spared a quick glance her way. "What, what?"

"What's bothering you?" she clarified.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"You're _**not**_ fine," she countered.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because you have a death grip on the steering wheel, you're making very short comments, and you're clenching your jaws so tightly I think you're going to need a crowbar to pry them apart." Brennan was getting irked. She'd gone for a long time with no boyfriend and now, suddenly that Sully was back, Booth started acting like she wasn't allowed to have a love life. It wasn't that she necessarily wanted Sully, but it was the idea that Booth preferred to keep her in some kind of sexless limbo.

"So now you're an expert on reading people?" Booth retorted.

"No, but I think I'm pretty good at picking up on some of your body language."

"So if you're so good at it, what's it telling you besides I'm 'not fine'?"

"You know what it's telling me, Booth? It's telling me you're acting like you're jealous." There. She'd said it.

"Jealous?! Of that twerp?! Hardly!" He laughed, taking the turn into the Jeffersonian lot a bit too hard, causing the tires to squeal a little bit.

Brennan braced her arm on the door. "And _**that**_ little show is a typical manifestation of your Alpha Male tendency to exhibit anger and frustration."

The SUV came to a halt and Booth got out, slamming the door. Brennan slipped out and slammed her door as well.

"You think you know everything, don't you, Bones? Well, you don't. I'm not jealous. Far from it. If you want to fall back into bed with the guy who literally sailed off into the sunset without you, then by all means, go right ahead!" Booth swiped his ID card and the two of them stalked into the Jeffersonian's lab.

"It wasn't sunset when he left!" Brennan was getting angrier by the minute.

"Sure, comment on _**that**_ part!" Booth exclaimed back, swiping his way through to the wing where she worked.

"What's that mean?" she asked, fuming.

"I noticed you didn't deny anything about 'falling into bed' with him. Is that how you spent your night last night?!" It was out before he could stop it and he grimaced as soon as he said it.

She stopped short, icy blue eyes shooting into his like two lasers. "What I did last night, where I was, and with whom, is none of your damn business! It's been almost a _**year**_ since I've dated anyone and you haven't shown the faintest interest in my love life. Now, someone's interested in me and you suddenly have issues. You know what that tells me? You only want what you can't have!" These last words were said quietly and with venom, but not quietly enough in a large room with high ceilings and nothing to absorb sound.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to expect what I can't have…think you can still examine the remains and make it to your date tonight?" Booth stepped closer to her, a tactic he normally used when he was trying to intimidate someone. Why he did it then, he wasn't sure. But it certainly didn't intimidate Brennan. She upped the game, stepping even closer to him.

They were nearly touching at this point when she replied, "Oh, the remains will be examined and I _**will**_ make my date. What will _**you**_ be doing tonight, Booth? Wondering what _**I'm**_ doing?"

They stared at each other for a few moments. Brennan couldn't quite believe what had just come out of her mouth, but she was even more shocked at the emotions which flashed in Booth's eyes. Anger, hurt, and then that dangerous look settled in as something smoldered behind his eyes. In a whispered reply he said, "Whatever you'll be doing tonight won't be the same if you're not with me."

She spun on her heel and stalked off to her office, boot heels echoing loudly in the very quiet lab.

Booth stood seething for a few moments, staring after her as she left. Then someone coughed lightly and he looked up to see Jack, Angela, Cam, and even a few of the technicians standing and staring. Angela's mouth was open and Jack's eyes were wide.

"Um, Booth? I need to talk to you about some preliminary information on the remains you just brought in," Cam broke the tense silence.

"Fine. Want to head to your office?" Booth replied, smoothing his tie.

As he followed Cam, Hodgins turned to look at the rest of the stunned audience. "Did everyone else just see that or did I slip into some kind of alternate universe for five minutes?"

Angela blinked a few time and finally managed to close her mouth. "I didn't know if she was going to deck him or kiss him! This isn't good for anyone's blood pressure. Their tensions alone is sending everyone else's libidos into overdrive. I've got to talk to Bren."


	3. Chapter 3

_I just want to thank all of you for being so thoughtful and reviewing my first two chapters. It's really amazing to me to have so many people interested in something I'm writing. ____ I'm in the process of moving, so the updates are a bit hard, but the story IS complete…I just have to type it up. Bear with me…I'll try to make it worth it!_

_**Just a Matter of Physics Chapter III**_

As Booth followed Cam to her office, he braced himself. Even though they'd been lovers at one point, there was no animosity between them. To the contrary, they'd served as sounding boards and even mirrors to each other, often being the one person they could each trust to be completely and, often, brutally honest. He knew he was in for a dose of Cam's particular brand of wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee as she moved to her desk.

Cam picked up the file folder on her top desk tray and opened it up. "I just wanted to double check a few things before I get started."

Booth nodded and moved closer, answering her questions or pointing a few things out in the preliminary report.

Nodding her head, Cam tucked the folder under one arm and moved to the door.

"That's all?" Booth asked surprised.

Cam turned back around. "Yeah. I didn't need much clarification."

"No comment on the show?" Booth pressed.

Sighing, Cam closed the door and then leaned her back against it. "Seeley, what do you want me to say?"

"The truth--as always," he replied.

"Okay…but you're not going to like it," Cam warned.

"That's why I know I can count on you," he smiled.

"You're being selfish and _**completely**_ unfair to both yourself and Dr. Brennan," she said simply. When Booth made to reply, she held up a hand to forestall him. "No--let me say it all. You're selfish because you like knowing she doesn't have any love life. You like it because as long as that's the case, you can 'have' her to yourself without all the messy relationship entanglements. The minute she has interest in anyone else, you manage to come up with a hundred reasons why he's no good. But you weren't always that way. The last time she was with Sully, you actually _**encouraged**_ her to date him: even go with him when he left. So what's changed? I'll tell you what's changed--your feelings.

"You've fallen for her: hard. But you can't bear to admit it. You drew that ridiculous line in the sand after you broke up with me to keep everyone safe. You have this crazy idea that by not entering into a relationship with someone you work with, you can keep them from harm.

"Obviously that's _**not**_ the case or Dr. Brennan would _**never**_ have been abducted by the Grave Digger or had an entire Hispanic gang gunning for her. So what are you hoping to achieve by refusing to give in to what you both so clearly want? That's how you're being unfair. And don't hand me that crap about 'if we break up, how will we continue to work together?' If you and I aren't having any problems, someone like Dr. Brennan wouldn't have a problem either. Or is it you, Seeley? Are you the one who'd have the problem? Is this all about your insecurities?"

Cam paused for a moment, looking him directly in the eye. "You know what I think, Seeley? I think you've finally found that one woman who is perfect for you and you know it. And you're terrified. But let me tell you something; you'll never forgive yourself if you don't at least try. And I think you owe it to both of you to try. God knows she's never had the kind of relationship that I _**know**_ you can give her. But don't wait because the one bit of competition you have is here and taking her out to dinner tonight. So if you don't want to lose her, you better make up your mind now."

With that parting comment, Cam opened the door and walked out, leaving a stunned Booth standing in her office, resembling a landed trout--mouth open.

* * *

The Italian restaurant Sully had selected was excellent in every way. The food was phenomenal, the wine list outstanding, the service impeccable, and the atmosphere quiet, provincial Italian. Sully was funny and charming, the conversation easy…so why was Brennan feeling so off-kilter? It almost felt like she was uneasy: as if she were doing something illicit. She was definitely having a hard time concentrating on the conversation and had even tried having a few extra sips of wine to loosen up. That was actually making things more difficult because the slight buzz she had was letting her mind drift to areas other than Sully: most notably Booth.

"Tempe, what's bothering you tonight? You seem really out of it," Sully asked after she had responded to his offer of more bread by handing him her water glass.

Brought back to the table by Sully's direct question, Brennan looked up at him and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry. I'm just really distracted tonight."

Sully nodded and smiled. "I get it. You're probably still a little pre-occupied with the new case. I heard it's pretty rough."

Brennan nodded. "From Cam's inspection of the remains and my cursory examination of bone damage, it seems like the victim's limbs were ripped from his body."

"What? How does that happen?" Sully asked, shocked.

"Zach has the bones boiling now so that we can do a more detailed examination of them, but for now it's possible that he was tied to vehicles which were driven apart from each other."

Sully took a long sip of his wine. "So you mean he was drawn and quartered?"

"You could compare it to that, but I think only two vehicles were used in place of the four horses," Brennan acknowledged.

Sully stared at her for a while. Their meal was delivered at that moment and, looking down at his plate of mussels marinara, he swallowed. "Let's change the subject, huh?"

Brennan nodded, smiling. "Okay. You pick."

"Well, as you know, I'll be in DC for a few weeks. In speaking to the FBI's office of legal affairs, the head honcho asked me if I'd be interested in a full-time consultant position." He waited to see her response.

She arched an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"

"It means they'll need me to come in on and off for a couple of months a year. I'll be in DC more frequently yet still be able to sail like I want."

"Are you taking the job?" Brennan asked.

"That depends."

"On what?"

Sully looked long and hard at her. "On you."

She frowned. "On me?"

"Tempe, I've been happy for the most part these last few months, but not completely. I couldn't stop thinking about you. Every sunrise and every sunset I missed you. If I take this job, I'd be here more. Maybe you could work something out here and even be able to come with me for periods of time on the boat." His heart was in his eyes.

Brennan dropped her gaze. "Sully, do you realize how badly you hurt me when you left? It just reinforced the fact that anyone I let myself care about always winds up leaving."

"But I'm back, Tempe," Sully persisted.

"But you left in the first place. And now you're telling me you want to keep popping in and out of my life. How am I supposed to react to that?" She didn't hold back. She was angry that he didn't seem to realize what he wanted. He could come and go however he chose and expected her to wait for him?

"I know. But buying the sailboat was something I had to do. I've never felt truly fulfilled in anything I've ever done. Do you know what that's like? No matter what you try, it's never the right fit. Places I've lived, jobs, Hell…even women. Then, I fall in love with sailing and suddenly feel that fit. I plan to buy my own boat and go to the Caribbean. And then I meet this incredible woman. After only two months I realize I've found another fit. And God, I want her. But I want the other part of my life, too. I want her to come with me but she's her own person, too, and can't. If I'd never left, I'd always blame myself for not trying and that would bleed into any relationship I would have with her. Do you understand, Tempe? I had to try. Just like I have to try now. I want another chance with you." In finishing, he reached across the table and took her hand.

Brennan was quiet. She didn't know what to say. They'd had a great relationship before and she'd wondered what would have happened if they'd stayed together. Looking at him she remembered how it felt to be with him. Their time together had been light and fun, marked by gentle romantic interludes. His kisses had been soft and caring and thinking about them again made her stomach tip a little. But that feeling was nothing compared to the things her stomach did when she was simply in Booth's presence, never mind kissing him. What would it be like to kiss him? For real? Not some contrived kiss under the mistletoe? (Not that she hadn't felt something then, but it wasn't the same!)

Her silence seemed to stretch forever and Sully spoke up. "Tempe? I won't hurt you again. I promise."

She looked back up at him, doubt in her eyes. "It's not just that."

He sat back in his chair at this. "Oh. Oh, man! I'm so stupid! I totally assumed you weren't seeing anyone. I'm sorry, Tempe. That was completely chauvinistic of me to think that you were still single." He looked embarrassed and a little crestfallen. Then he smiled a little and sighed. "So he finally admitted it then, huh?"

Brennan was confused. "Who?"

"Seeley! It was obvious from the beginning that, no matter what he said, he had a thing for you. What finally made him decide to act on it?"

"No--you misunderstand. Booth isn't--I mean Booth and I aren't--," here she trailed off. What exactly _**were**_ she and Booth? Partners and friends, yes. More? What about last night?

"So wait a minute. You two aren't together?"

What could she say? "Well, no."

"Is there someone else?"

Brennan started to realize the situation she had just gotten herself into. If she said yes in order to put him on hold, she'd have to concoct some kind of story and get everyone at the lab to back her up. That was a lie she was uncomfortable with. But if she admitted she had no one, he'd push the issue farther and she wasn't sure if she wanted to pick up where they'd left off. If she gave in, it wouldn't be possible to just keep it on a physical level. Sully would never settle for that and she didn't think she really was ready to try this again with him.

"Tempe--if there's no one else, at least keep this option open. We were so good together before." Here he leaned in closer again and touched her hand.

She sighed. "I'll keep an open mind."

His smile brightened quickly and then, as the waiter cleared their plates, he said, "Want to split our usual dessert?"

She smiled and nodded.

* * *

As Sully walked her to her apartment building, Brennan was acutely aware of making sure she kept enough distance between them so that he wasn't able to put his arm around her at any point. What she couldn't understand was why. She almost felt uncomfortable and that was completely ludicrous! How could things have changed so much for her?

"Here you are, M'Lady," Sully bowed, motioning to the front door. She smiled and reached into her bag for her keys. This was the awkward part. Normally he would have come up, but Brennan simply didn't want that to happen. She wasn't sure if it was because she still didn't trust this relationship again or if it was because, for some unfathomable reason, the thought of Booth finding out they'd slept together caused her to feel tense--anxious even. And that just made her madder at Booth.

Holding her keys in her hand, she turned back to Sully. "I'd ask you up, but I'm really tired and I have to be at work early."

There was a quick flash of disappointment, but then he smiled gently. "It's okay, Tempe. I understand." And with that he leaned in slowly and met her lips with his. His hand went to her face and he gently caressed her cheek as he pulled away from her. "Good night."

Brennan felt a small twinge in her stomach and she knew she was a little flushed as she watched him head down the few steps to the pavement. She watched him go to the end of the block where he turned and waved before disappearing around the corner. She waved back and turned around to her door.

As she turned, a small movement across the street drew her attention. She stopped, frowning. She looked at the shadowed doorways and waited a bit, but nothing moved again. Deciding it was probably one of the cats that frequently came out at night, she turned back and entered her building, heading to the sixth floor.

As she locked the door of her apartment behind her and dropped her bag on a chair, she sorted through her mail and walked into the kitchen. She noticed the red light flashing on her answering machine and hit play as she opened the fridge for a bottled water.

"Bren--you've got to call me when you get a chance! I want to know everything about tonight!" Angela's voice was slightly high pitched and Brennan laughed in amusement. Would Angela be disappointed or glad when she heard about tonight?

The second message was from Russ' girlfriend. "Hey, Temperance. Don't forget the girls' dance recital next week. They'd love to see you there if you can make it."

The third message started as she made her way towards the closet to hang up her jacket. At first she thought it was a hang up because she didn't hear anything. Then, as she closed the door, she heard a very distorted voice. The only words she could understand were "stay away". Frowning, she went to the machine and hit re-play. Again, a distorted voice, static, something being said, and then "stay away".

It wasn't the first phone call like that she'd ever received and, as far as threats went, it wasn't that scary. Shrugging, Brennan went to her bathroom, washed up, and then crawled into bed. It wasn't until she was nearly asleep that she remembered the odd shadow across the street. She put it to the back of her mind as she drifted off.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate you all being so patient with me. I'm all moved but still have work to do…but I HAD to update because you've all been so wonderful. _

* * *

Seeley Booth was having a pretty good morning. He'd wrapped up the paperwork from his last case, managed to avoid spilling coffee on his favorite tie, and the Pirates had won the first game of the season. Even better, he was on his way to see Bones after her big date with Sully--who he knew had gone home and _not_ spent the night with her. He'd run into Sully early that morning and he'd said something about the room next to his being too loud.

"Man, they were sex maniacs! At least I assume there was no murder since the breakfast room service tray was sitting outside their room with half-eaten toast and eggs." Sully had complained and Booth hadn't been able to contain his smile. The only time a guy complained about sex noises next door was when he wasn't getting any action himself. Plus, he'd listened to his pronoun usage and never heard "we", "us", or "our" after he mentioned dinner. Not to mention he had other, secret FBI ways of knowing (but he'd deny having spent any time watching Bones' door last night…ahem)!

When he got to the lab, he saw his Squint Squad on the platform, all intent on the bones in front of them. He swiped his card and took the steps two at a time.

"So, how are my favorite Squints?" he asked.

Zach and Brennan didn't look up, but Angela and Jack did. "Dude, how much coffee have you _**had**_ this morning?"

Angela smiled crookedly. "You're awfully happy this morning! Hmmm--I wonder why? Did you have a date last night?"

Booth scowled, but noticed Bones looked up at that. "No! Geez, can't a guy be in a good mood once in a while?"

"With the re-appearance of Agent Sullivan, his previous relationship with Dr. Brennan, and the fact that you obviously feel your territory has been invaded, it's perfectly natural to wonder why you could be in a good mood," came Zach's dispassionate voice as he never even looked up from his examination.

Booth frowned, but noticed the tinge of pink that crept up Bones' neck and cheeks.

Angela turned on Zach. "See? This is exactly what I was talking about! You can't just say whatever you're thinking. Remember that filter we talked about? I have sooo much work to do!"

Zach lifted his eyes momentarily, blinking at Angela. "I thought what I said _**was**_ filtered."

Booth decided to ignore the whole conversation and turned instead to Brennan. "So--did you get my e-mail this morning? We have some information on the tire tracks we found."

She looked up. "No. What time did you send it?"

"About forty-five minutes ago--give or take," Booth responded.

Taking her gloves off, Brennan sighed and rubbed her back. "I got here early this morning so I haven't checked it since about 6:00 am." She turned and left the platform with Booth following behind her.

When they got to her office, Booth sat down on her sofa as she moved behind the desk. "So why were you here so early? I thought you had a date last night."

"I did," came the terse reply.

"Didn't it go well?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible.

"It was fine."

"Fine? Just fine?" Booth pressed.

Brennan looked up at him. "Yes, it was just fine."

"Huh. That seems kind of boring. You have another one lined up any time soon?" He couldn't help himself.

"Not that it's really any of your business, but no, we don't have another lined up yet. As a matter of fact," here her e-mail opened and she paused to look through it quickly, "he's thinking about staying in DC--more--" She trailed off and stared at her computer.

Booth looked at her and didn't like the way her face had suddenly paled. "What is it?" When she didn't answer, he got up. "Bones--what's wrong?" He made his way to stand behind her and see what she was staring at.

The body of the e-mail simply said, "Stay away." The images imbedded in the body were far worse. There were four in all, each showing a horribly mutilated body. What made them worse was the each had a picture of her face superimposed on those of the corpses.

"Jesus--," was the only thing that came out of his mouth. He immediately flipped open his cell phone and placed a call directly to Cullen.

Brennan felt her mouth go dry and she tasted the slightest trace of bile in the back of her throat. She barely heard Booth's voice as he ordered taps and tracers at home and work and a twenty-four hour watch posted on her. She'd been threatened before, but not like this. Those pictures elicited a response that was one part fear and one part anger. And then she remembered the message last night.

"Booth--there's more. I didn't really think anything about it at the time, but now it's probably significant."

He asked Cullen to hold on a second and listened to her information, jaw tightening as he added this information to what he'd already told Cullen. When he was done, he closed his phone and leaned against her desk.

"You're going to have a twenty-four hour watch posted outside the lab and your apartment. You aren't to go anywhere without your tail, okay? They're sending a computer geek over to work on this e-mail situation. Hopefully they'll be able to trace it back. We're putting taps on your phone lines, too." Booth's tone brooked no argument and for once she didn't offer any.

"I don't understand. Is it linked to this case or something else? I'm not the only one working on this. Has anyone else been targeted?" she asked.

"I'll check and make sure everyone is focused and paying attention to what's going on around them. But you're pretty high profile, Bones. And there were reporters at the site yesterday. Maybe whoever killed this guy recognized you."

She nodded quietly, her silence saying more to Booth than anything she could have said. "Hey--you want to go home?"

Brennan's eyes lost that faraway look and she stood up. "No. I have a lot of work to do here and I'm probably safer here than anywhere else. Besides, I want to find out everything I possibly can from these bones. Whoever did this isn't going to scare me away."

Booth smiled. "That's my Bones." He almost felt sorry for the murderer.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Angela produced a drawing of their John Doe. There had been no dental work and only a partially identifiable tattoo to work on. They had concluded that the body was probably that of a Hispanic male. The detail of the tattoo led them to believe he was part of the Latin Kings gang, but they weren't entirely sure. There was part of a number in the tattoo as well and Angela was trying to get a better read on it.

Upon closer examination of the bones and, in particular, the joints and sockets of the limbs, Brennan and Zach were able to prove the hypothesis of being drawn and quartered. It was certainly something no one had seen before and Booth took this information back to the FBI, asking for a search of records to be conducted to see if this method of murder had popped up anywhere else.

Upon his return to the Jeffersonian, he found Brennan and Angela sitting in Brennan's office, talking quietly, both pairs of hands clutching warm mugs of tea.

"Hey. Anything new?" Booth asked by way of greeting.

"Depends on what you're talking about." Angela replied, lifting one eyebrow and smiling crookedly.

Brennan's face blushed a little. "Ange--," she warned.

"Oh, please, Sweetie! Give me a little credit? I mean, it's sooo obvious, but I'm not saying anything. You people could drive a person to drink! As a matter of fact, now that your knight has returned, I'm going to go do just that!" Angela stood up and, leaning over to give her best friend a kiss on the cheek, said good-bye. As she walked passed Booth, she smiled at him and, under her breath said, "Come on already!"

Booth frowned as she left, unsure of what he'd heard her say. "What was that all about?"

Brennan sighed and stood up, taking her and Angela's mugs. "You know Angela. She likes to pry a lot."

Booth decided to leave it alone. If they had been talking about Sully, he didn't want to know. "Are you ready to go home?" he asked instead.

"Yeah. I still don't know why we can't both drive."

"Bones, trust me, okay? I want to make sure anyone watching sees that you're not alone."

They left and, with the exception of a quick stop for takeout, went straight to her apartment. Booth took note of the position of the team outside and, satisfied, followed her up the stairs to her apartment. Once inside, he locked and dead-bolted the door.

* * *

The evening was spent quietly enough. They had dinner and, somewhere between the steamed dumplings and the almond cookies, they finally fell back into their normal, easy relationship. They joked and chatted and Brennan got caught up on Parker's latest escapades. Whenever the phone rang, Booth insisted on picking up at the same time she answered it. So far only Angela and Cam had called, but Booth didn't want to take any chances. When the phone rang for the third time and they picked it up, Booth heard Sully's voice on the other end.

"Hey, Tempe! How are you? I haven't heard from you all day," he started.

"Things have been a little crazy today," she replied and Booth quietly set his receiver down. As much as he wanted to hear what Sully had to say, he knew he couldn't listen in. He hadn't when Angela or Cam had called. He went to the kitchen for a soda.

From the other room came Brennan's voice. "There's been some threats. Let's just say they got my attention. Of course I did--Booth was there when I opened my e-mail. He's taking care of everything." There was a much longer pause and then, "No. Booth's here." Her voice started sounding a little clipped. "I have no idea. I think he is, but I'm not sure."

At this, Booth came back in and Brennan covered the mouthpiece with her hand. "Are you staying the night?"

Booth felt an irrational rush and quickly clamped down on it. "I was going to offer, but it's up to you," he answered.

She nodded and went back to her phone conversation. "Yes, he's staying tonight. He's concerned and thinks it's for the best."

Booth's eyebrow raised nearly off his head. _**That**_ was interesting!

"Listen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about everything! It's not like I've had much down time to think. No. _**No**_--I don't need you to do that. Sully, no." She was obviously angry. "Listen, I need to hand up in case whoever has done this tries calling me. We'll talk about this later." Here, she hung up.

There was silence for a few moments and then Booth spoke. "If there's a problem with me being here, then I can go."

Brennan shook her head. "No. There's no problem. And I _**want**_ you here." When she said this, her eyes met his and he nodded.

It wasn't long afterwards that there was a knock at the door. Booth shot out of his seat and motioned for Brennan to stand back as he drew his gun. He went to the door and waited for a count of five before looking through the peek hole. His posture relaxed immediately and he turned to her. "It's Sully." He opened the door as he holstered his gun.

If looks could kill, Booth very well may have been struck dead before Sully had even finished crossing the doorway. "Booth," he said by way of greeting.

"Sully," he replied tersely.

"I told you there was nothing you could do here, Sully. Why did you come over?" Brennan asked, a little annoyed.

"I was worried about you, Tempe! You tell me you're getting death threats and you've got twenty-four hour tails on you and expect me to just sit back and watch TV?" Sully was keeping calm, but he was honestly hurt.

"Between the twenty-four hour surveillance, the phone and e-mail taps, and Booth, I'll be fine. There's nothing you can do to help tonight. If you have time tomorrow, stop by the lab and I'll fill you in on what we know." She was dismissing him and she hadn't even allowed him beyond a few feet into her apartment.

"If you want, I'll give you the information we have. Stop by my office when you're in my building," Booth offered.

"I appreciate that, Booth," he replied without taking his eyes off Brennan. "Tempe, let me stay tonight."

"I don't need _**another**_ babysitter, Sully," came her reply.

"So let Booth go home and I'll stay."

Booth felt his blood pressure begin to rise. Nobody dismissed him from anything unless he agreed to it. And he most certainly did _**not**_ agree with leaving Sully with _**his**_ partner! "Look, Sully--we both appreciate the offer, but like Bones said, it's not necessary. And sorry, but you're no longer an agent. Bones is my responsibility," Booth insisted, walking towards the door.

"She's your _**partner**_, but she's my _**girlfriend**_," Sully retorted, moving closer to Booth.

Brennan had had enough. "Look, I'm completely capable of taking care of myself. I certainly don't need you two acting like two dogs marking your territory!" She looked at Sully. "I am _**not**_ your girlfriend! We went to dinner once. I never said you could claim that title." Now she turned towards Booth. "And you--I am not your 'responsibility'. I'm totally capable of being responsible for myself. You two can stay here and argue all night if you want, but I'm going to bed!" And with that, Dr. Temperance Brennan turned on her heel, went straight to her bedroom, and slammed the door.

* * *

She was lying in bed when she heard the front door shut. She heard the chain sliding into place and knew Booth had stayed. She released a breath she'd had no idea she'd been holding. The testosterone levels in her apartment had reached all time highs tonight! She was angry at Sully's presumptuousness in referring to her as his girlfriend, but she was almost as equally put out by Booth's sense of responsibility for her. Had everyone forgotten she held several titles in more than two or three martial arts?!

She tossed onto her stomach and bunched up her pillow. The case they were working on was warring with the images from her e-mail. Underlying all that was the re-appearance of Sully coupled with her new questions about Booth. Her mind was split in too many directions and she couldn't settle herself down at all. The thing that disturbed her the most was that out of everything that was weighing on her mind, she kept coming back to Booth and the feelings he was eliciting from her. She couldn't understand when things had become so complicated. No. That wasn't true. Christmas had brought about a lot of changes for her, but none she had really been willing to acknowledge at that point.

Sighing, she turned onto her right side and propped a pillow behind her. She needed the feel of something there to make her feel a bit easier when she closed her eyes. A boyfriend would be ideal, but since she didn't have one of those, a pillow would do. She'd been this way since the Grave Digger case and she hated this display of weakness. She couldn't help herself, though. And sometimes--more frequently as of late--she allowed herself to pretend it was an overprotective FBI agent who laid against her…just as she was doing now as she drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_How awesome was last night's episode?! Did you all notice the way Booth kept encouraging Brennan to build a house with the implication that they would be watching the enormous television TOGETHER?! And did you SEE the way Booth was watching Brennan with the baby towards the end?! Good Lord, Man! Just kiss her already!!_

She'd had a difficult night sleeping. Her brain refused to shut down and she'd tossed and turned all night. As the early morning, pre-dawn light began filtering in through her window, Brennan decided to take a walk. It was something she often did to clear her mind: and it certainly needed clearing today.

She slipped into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and went into the other room. She could hear the shower in the hall bathroom and knew Booth was up. She debated telling him what she was planning but knew he'd insist on going with her. What was the point in trying to clear her mind if part of what she wanted to clear it of was right there with her? Instead, she left a note for him on the table by the phone, picked up her keys, and quietly shut the door behind her as she left.

It was a little chilly and she untied the sweatshirt from where it hung around her waist. She thought about zipping it up then decided against it. She didn't like the way it seemed to increase in bulk when she did. She noticed the car across the street and nodded as she turned towards the small park a few blocks away.

As she got to the gate of the park, she sighed. This was like her own private refuge. Not many people came here: at least not at the odd hours she seemed to find herself here at. There was a small pond with a weeping willow beside it. On warmer days she often sat under it, watching the few ducks that would occasionally set up their nests here. It was peaceful. And that's what she needed right now.

Brennan knew she was in an almost no win situation. With Sully back she felt on edge. While they had been together, she'd enjoyed his companionship. He was smart, funny, great in bed--but at times he'd been a little too attentive for her taste. When he'd wanted her to go with him, part of her had wanted to go, but a larger part of her had been terrified of it. She hadn't emotionally depended on someone since her family had deserted her. She'd learned her lesson well. But Sully had broken down some of her resistance and she felt she could trust him. When he'd asked her to come, she had considered it, but ultimately she couldn't bring herself to leave her friends and work: in that order.

She'd surprised herself with that. She had often been accused of being too work driven, yet the thought of losing her new-found family was worse than the thought of losing Sully. If one particular member of that family figured into her decision a bit more than another, well, did it really matter? In the end she had stayed and he had left.

Brennan continued walking, circling around the pond. Sully was back, but her feelings for him weren't. She had missed him, but that ache had disappeared in time. Now she was faced with a different problem. Her mind slipped back to the other night at the bar. No matter how much either wanted to deny anything had happened, Brennan knew something had changed between herself and Booth.

Just thinking about how they'd interacted that night was enough to start that electric jolt coursing from her stomach downward. The look in his eyes that night was enough to elevate her endorphin levels sky high. In the time she'd known Booth, she'd never seen that side of him. It was like he was suddenly darker--sexier. And she had felt her body react like never before.

Hearing footsteps on the gravel path behind her, Brennan turned around to glance at the early morning jogger she assumed was approaching. The two hooded men coming her way didn't look like joggers and, when they saw her looking at them, they increased their speed. Her danger sense kicked in and she turned and fled.

She was running as fast as she could: as though her life depended on it, as well it might. She heard the one swear in Spanish and as she scrambled back up the small hill she had descended into the park, she looked wildly around for something--anything--she could use to defend herself with. She was almost to the gate when she saw a limb lying under an old elm tree. She grabbed it and turned around as the first attacker reached out and grabbed at her sweatshirt. She twirled out of it and swung the limb at her attacker's head. When he ducked, she swept him with a roundhouse kick to his jaw. He went down hard and she turned to face the other attacker, breathing hard, adrenaline pumping. He smiled wickedly at her and pulled a long, slender-bladed knife from his sweatshirt. She knew she was in trouble, but she also knew that as long as the other attacker stayed down, she still had a chance.

Her second attacker feinted towards her and she brought her makeshift club up. She was still trying to maneuver her way towards the gate, but he had gotten in between her and her goal while she was dealing with the first man. He made a jab again and then quickly changed the direction of his swing. She was fast, but he was faster and he laughed as he drew first blood from a shallow slice across her forearm. She sucked in her breath and tightened her grip on the weapon. If she could only get him close enough, she could take him the same way she had the first attacker.

Brennan didn't have to worry long, though. Before she could take another step backwards, she heard the familiar voice of her partner yell, "Freeze!"

For a split second, the attacker did freeze. Then he took off, nearly flying towards the cover of the trees. Seeley fired one shot at the fleeing attacker, but he dodged at the last second and his shot missed. He saw the still unconscious first attacker and immediately called in for back-up.

He came down to where Brennan was still trying hard to catch her breath. "Are you all right?" he asked, turning her so he could see--_feel_--her for himself.

Brennan nodded, holding her side where she was just now feeling a stitch. When she did, Booth saw a few drops of blood fall from her wound.

"Jesus Christ, you're _**not**_ okay! You're bleeding!" His voice rose in pitch and sounded stressed, even to Brennan's ears. Just then, the back-up arrived and he quickly pointed in the direction of the fleeing attacker. Two men went running that way while one knelt and cuffed the unconscious man. "She's hurt! We need an ambulance!"

"Booth, no! It's superficial. Look." Here Brennan wiped the blood away to show him her arm. He took it in his hands, gently turning it to examine the wound. The waiting agent looked at him and he nodded okay. The concern that had flooded his eyes upon seeing her wound was gone, replaced with a look as hard as stone.

"Let's go."

He very nearly dragged her back to her apartment. When she tried to protest, he pulled her harder, but didn't say a word. Not until they were in her apartment and he'd bolted the door, did he speak.

"What the hell were you thinking?! How could you go out for a walk without anyone there?! Especially after those e-mails yesterday?!" His voice was like ice and Brennan stepped back and blinked a few times.

"What--are you going to tell me I need a babysitter everywhere I go?"

"Obviously you do! You could have been killed!" Seeley argued, his voice rising.

"But I wasn't. I can handle myself." She was behaving irrationally and she knew it, but she was mad: mad at being targeted, mad at Booth for thinking she couldn't handle herself, mad at Sully for assuming things--just downright mad. And unfortunately, Booth stood in front of her and was going to get the brunt of her irritation.

"I know you can handle yourself, but they sent _**two**_ guys after you today. Tomorrow it could be five and _**then**_ what will you do?" Booth fired back.

Brennan turned and walked into the kitchen for a bottle of water. She leaned against the counter as she opened it and watched Booth follow her in, coming to stand directly in front of her. "I'm not one of your 'damsels in distress', Booth! I've been threatened before."

"You need someone to protect you now, Bones! This isn't the same league as those lame little threats you've received in the past. You're my responsibility and I'm not going to let something happen to you when I can do something about it." He took a step closer, clearly invading her personal space now. His eyes flashed in anger and he dared her to gainsay him.

"You can't protect me from everything, Booth. What about the Grave Digger? There was nothing you could have done to prevent _**that**_!" She let it out before she knew it and she saw him wince. She immediately felt bad. She knew he held himself responsible for that and it was a low blow. But the look of pain disappeared quickly, to be replaced with that dark, smoldering look from the other night. It had more of an edge to it this time though and, as he stepped so close to her that their bodies were touching, Brennan swallowed and nervously licked her lips. Had she pushed him too far?

"You have _**no**_ idea how I felt about that. None. If something had happened and we hadn't gotten to you in time, I would never have forgiven myself. _**Never**_. That's why I won't let you put yourself in danger now," he whispered, his eyes boring into hers.

"Booth--," she started, but he cut her off.

"No. You listen to me, Temperance. I will _**never**_ allow you to risk your life." His hands came to rest on the counter on either side of her.

At the sound of her first name on his lips, she sucked in her breath and felt her heart race. He was so close to her now; she could smell his cologne, the soap he'd used—could almost feel something like an electric current between them. And she could focus on nothing else but his eyes and mouth.

He continued to press. "You don't understand how I feel. Do you know that I still have nightmares about the Grave Digger? I wake up in the middle of the night dripping with sweat and yelling your name because I think you're still trapped and my time has run out. I've had nightmares about finding you ripped to shreds by dogs, murdered by Mara Muerte, crucified in some sort of New Orleans voodoo ritual. Every time you get yourself into a situation you 'can handle', I lose sleep for a week afterwards. Do you have any idea what it feels like to care about someone so much that you'd rather put yourself in danger if it meant they'd be safe?" His eyes searched hers and that smoldering look seemed to flare up, becoming a fire.

Brennan tried to swallow but suddenly realized her throat had tightened and she was having a hard time catching her breath. She'd never felt this off-balance in her life. What was he doing to her? She was acutely aware of every spot his body came into contact with hers. And his eyes; she couldn't look away from them no matter how she tried. "Booth--I--I don't--," she tried to form her thoughts into words, but her brain was refusing to cooperate with her mouth. She trailed off as his eyes went to her mouth. Eyes heavy-lidded, his lips parted slightly and Brennan drew in a breath as his mouth came down on hers.

It felt as though her stomach had exploded and her heart was trying very hard to follow. His mouth was relentless and she felt as though her legs may give out. She'd dropped the water bottle and her hands moved to his chest as a small moan escaped her mouth. At that, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her body to his and she could feel the hardness of his muscles: arms, chest, legs--everywhere hard. Their tongues touched and the taste of him made her control slip another notch. When his hands traveled to her hips and he pulled her tight to him, she knew he was as aroused as she was and she responded by letting her hands slide down his back and around his waist to rest at his hips, urging him closer.

His hands left her hips to travel up under her shirt, wanting to fell her soft skin. When his mouth left hers for a moment, it was to trail kisses down her neck.

"God, Booth!" Brennan gasped and the tone of her voice caused Booth to pull back. He looked at her and saw the raging desire from his own eyes reflected in hers. Her mouth was red and swollen, she was breathing hard, and her hands had slid farther down from their original position at his hips. His body was nearly in agony, he wanted her so badly, but something clicked in Booth's mind and he took a step back.

"No. God, no. Not like this!" He said, pulling farther away.

"Why? What's wrong?" Brennan couldn't understand the sudden change. Had she done something?

"I'm supposed to be protecting you, not taking advantage of you. What am I doing?! I'm sorry, Bones," Booth said as he moved completely away. It was the golden rule of witness protection; you don't take advantage of their emotional state. And he was doing just that.

"It's hardly taking advantage of someone if they want it, too." What the hell was he talking about? Was this another cop out?! This was more than she could bear!

"Bones, I--" He was interrupted by the phone and he motioned for her to pick it up.

"Hello?" She answered shakily.

"Hey, Bren--it's me. Jack and I discovered something interesting about our Juan Doe's tattoo. Are you coming in today?" Angela sounded excited.

"That's good, Angela. Um--yeah--I'll be in soon," was Brennan's distracted reply.

"Sweetie, is something wrong? You don't sound right." Angela didn't miss a trick.

Brennan looked up at Booth and their eyes met as she answered, "It's been a really rough morning, that's all. I'll see you in a little bit." Before Angela could reply, Brennan hung up. She looked at Booth, who seemed about to say something, and then turned away from him without another word spoken.


	6. Chapter 6

You sure do know how to make a girl feel good

_You sure do know how to make a girl feel good! Thanks to all the people who've taken the time to give me feedback! I really appreciate it and it helps me to make sure I'm staying in character with everyone._

The ride to the lab was completely silent. Neither said anything, even when they got to the Jeffersonian. They walked through the security check point and went directly to the lab where Jack and Angela were bent over a microscope.

"Hey, guys! Come here and look at this," Angela said excitedly.

They came over and looked at the screen where the item being magnified was on display. It was part of the skin of the victim where the tattoo had been. Jack sat back from the microscope with a glint in his eye.

"Our Juan Doe is probably here from Colombia. The ink that was used for the tattoo? Well, it's from the irato, a plant indigenous to that part of South America. It's frequently used as a tattoo ink by natives, but it's also been showing up lately in certain 'homemade tattoos' of the members of a few of the drug cartels down there." Jack paused, allowing Angela to continue.

"I took what we had of the tattoo and tried to continue it as best as I could. This is what I came up with." Here, she held up a drawing of a slightly swirled design with part of a number in it.

Jack jumped in again. "Once we figured out the origin of the ink and the style of the tattoo, we linked in to the FBI database and found this." He pulled up a photo of someone's arm with a tattoo nearly identical to the one Angela had sketched. There was a number in this one, too.

"Do you guys know what the significance of the number is?" Booth asked, stepping closer to the screen.

"According to the information from the Bureau, each cartel has its own code. The first number represents the cartel and the others are like a way of giving each full-fledged member a 'team jersey' number, if you will," Angela replied. "If they're being inducted, they only get the first number until they've proven themselves."

"Yeah, and that usually involves a couple of murders: the more gruesome, the better," Jack added.

"This is excellent work!" Brennan said.

"Definitely. I'm going to go to the office and see if I can get our friendly new murder-suspect to do a little talking," Booth said.

"Whoa--wait a minute! What do you mean, 'new' murder suspect?" Angela was confused.

"It's nothing." Brennan tried to play it off, but Booth wouldn't allow it.

"'Nothing' was her little stunt this morning that nearly got her killed! She decided to take an early morning walk--_**by herself**_--and wound up being attacked by two guys who are probably part of the same gang as this guy," he replied, pointing at the skeleton laid out on the table behind them.

"What?!" Angela turned and looked at her friend. "Is this what you meant by a 'rough morning'?"

Brennan frowned. "Nothing happened. I knocked out the one attacker and Booth showed up and scared the other one away."

"Show Angela your arm. You know, the 'nothing' that happened when the second guy pulled a knife on you?!" Booth bit out.

Angela gasped and went to Brennan, pushing at her sleeve. "What the hell?!"

Brennan pulled her arm away. "Booth's making it out to be worse than it is. I'm going to my office." And with that, she spun on her heel and left, not even sparing a glance at her partner.

"Damn her!" Booth exclaimed. He turned to her best friend. "Angela, promise me you'll stick near her. If she tries to leave the lab, insist she notify the agents tailing her. And if she refuses, _**you**_ do it."

She nodded mutely.

"And Angela," Booth continued, his eyes softening and something that looked like pain flashed in them quickly, "_**please**_, call me if she goes anywhere--_**regardless**_!"

"I will, Booth. I love her too much to let her stubborn side get in the way. She means everything to us," she said, putting her hand on his arm and looking him in the eye.

He swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes, she does. I just wish she knew that." He turned and strode out of the lab.

Angela looked at Jack who was still sitting with his mouth slightly open in shock at everything he had just witnessed. "Something else happened. I don't know what, but I get the feeling that it was major. I'm going to go see what's up."

Angela found her friend sitting on the couch in her office, lost in thought. She handed her the extra coffee cup she was carrying and sat down next to her. They didn't say anything right away and Angel used the time to try and figure out how to draw her friend out. Turned out, she didn't have to.

"Sully wants to pick up from where we left off. He's thinking about taking a part-time consultant position with the FBI which would have him in DC more frequently. He kissed me after dinner the other night and then showed up at my place last night while Booth was there."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure _**that**_ was an interesting conversation."

"It got so ridiculous, I went to bed," Brennan answered.

"You left them alone? Good Lord, I'm surprised they're both still alive! Wait--who won?" Angela asked.

"Booth spent the night. He was in the shower when I got up and went for the walk. He was absolutely furious with me and nearly dragged me back to my apartment. I was angry, too--although I know what I did was stupid. I shouldn't have gone by myself, but, Ange--I was so confused! I couldn't stop thinking about him all night. And then, when we got back, we had a really heated argument about things. Next thing I know, we're kissing, he pulls away and says he shouldn't, you called and--" Brennan was explaining everything in a rush, but Angela didn't miss it.

"Wait--what?! Did you say he kissed you?! How? Where? How long was it? You can't expect to say something like that in passing as if it's of no consequence!" Angela was nearly beside herself.

"Ange, I don't know. We were in my kitchen and he was arguing with me about what I'd done. He got _**really**_ close to me and told me he has nightmares about not being able to protect me and then he kissed me," Brennan tried to explain.

"He has nightmares about losing you? Whoa--that's really intense. What was the kiss like?" Angela asked.

Brennan sat back on the couch. "It was--I--I never knew a kiss could make me feel like that. I was overwhelmed. I mean, I'm no novice, but I've never felt so out of control in my life: and certainly not just from a kiss." It was hard to put words to just exactly what she _**did**_ feel.

Angela sat still for a few moments, silently contemplating what her friend had told her. This was huge. Then it dawned on her. "Wait a minute…you said he pulled away and told you he shouldn't kiss you?"

Brennan nodded. "I don't know why."

"Does he think you're still interested in Sully? I mean, he stepped aside for him once." Angela paused and looked at her friend more closely. "You're not still interested in Sully, are you?" She wasn't sure on whom her friend's interest was focused.

"That's just it, Ange! When Sully kissed me the other night, I didn't feel anything. I thought maybe it was just because I was a little leery of letting go after he left me once, but when Booth kissed me--I never felt that way with Sully: not once. But I don't understand why Booth said what he did."

Angela sat back as well. "Sweetie, I don't know. You told me he talked about a line once when it came to relationships and work. Maybe he's thinking about that. Although, that's pretty lame considering he and Cam are still fine and Jack and I aren't having any issues. Maybe it's a defense mechanism for him. He could be afraid of getting hurt, too. But what are you going to do about Sully?"

"I don't really know. I mean, Booth hasn't exactly said he's interested: almost the total opposite. And Sully and I had a great sex life. What am I supposed to do?"

Angela shook her head. "It's really your call. But I know one thing. If I were you and all I was thinking of Sully as was a booty call, I'd think twice. You're going to wind up giving him the wrong impression and if Booth was to find out--and he probably would--you'd be putting the chance of that relationship in jeopardy. What's more important to you?"

They sat quietly for a while as Brennan thought everything over. What _**was**_ more important? She knew if a relationship with Booth was an option, it would never be casual. And as much as she touted her freedom to Angela and others who questioned her happiness, one conversation with Booth kept coming back to haunt her. It had been at the end of the pony play case and they'd been in their "usual place" at the diner. She'd had sex with enough me in her life that she felt there wasn't much left to experience, but Booth had insisted there was a difference between having sex and making love. And she'd realized that she'd never experienced what he was talking about. It was something she often thought about now, especially when her editor would tell her the sex scenes between Andy and Kathy were hot, but didn't she foresee them moving forward in their relationship? Brennan had always assumed she'd meant marriage, but lately she had questioned her interpretation. How could she write about something of which she had no idea or experience? Now these feelings she was experiencing with Booth had her amazed, confused, and not a little frightened. Is this what everyone meant when they talked about being in love? She thought she knew what it was, but she'd never experienced these feelings with anyone before even though she'd been in several longer relationships with men. How was this possible?

"I'm going to go back and start work on something for Cam. If you need me, just let me know," Angela broke the silence. "And Bren--_**please**_--if you decide you want to go somewhere, let me know. I don't want Booth after me because I let his girl leave by herself."

"Fine…now go on," Brennan stood up, ushering Angela to the door.

Angela paused and turned at the door. "You know, if it weren't for you being my friend, I _**so**_ would be on Mr. Hunky G-Man!"

"That, and I think Jack would have something to say about that," Brennan shot back, smiling.

Angela laughed and left.

Booth was sitting across from Brennan's morning attacker. He'd been with him for just over two hours and hadn't gotten much out of him. He preferred to answer in Spanish, but he obviously knew English since he understood Seeley. So far he'd told Booth his name was Miguel Santos and Booth could go screw himself…but not in so many words. Booth was losing his patience and knew that his time with him was running out. The guy was savvy enough to request a lawyer and a public defender was on his way at this moment.

"Let's try this one more time, mi amigo. What do you know about the guy we found missing his arms and legs?"

"No se."

"Right. And what about su amigo? You know, the one who ran and left your sorry ass where it fell? What's his name?" Booth asked.

"He is not my friend."

"I guess he thought you were pretty pathetic, huh? I mean, you had a knife and you let a woman with a stick beat the crap out of you. Not very good for your macho-guy image. Must have been _**really**_ humiliating." Booth leaned on the table and smiled.

"What's your woman like in bed?" Santos asked. "Does she scream your name? I was planning on showing her what a real man can do. I would have taken her right there and made her scream for more. A nice _toto_ like that? You can't handle her. That takes a man like me." He leaned forward, too, coming within inches of Booth's face, smiling wickedly.

There was the briefest moment when Booth sat still; time stood still. There was a rushing sound in his ears like that of the ocean and then he flew across the table at the man. Chairs went flying as Booth grabbed Santos' throat, pulled back, and slammed his head full force into the wall behind him. He landed two kidney shots to him and then, shoving Santos' face roughly against the wall, Booth whispered through gritted teeth, "Don't you _**ever**_ say something like that again. Do you hear me? Because I'll kill you. I don't care--I'll _**kill **_you!"

"Booth," came the voice of an agent from the door.

"Yeah?" he asked, still holding Santos' throat in a death grip.

"His buddy was just brought in. He's already singing. Looks like your friend here doesn't have much time left if he wants to get any kind of deal." The agent didn't look the slightest bit concerned at the state of the room or the condition of the suspect.

Booth smiled maliciously at Santos. "Looks like your time is up, amigo."


	7. Chapter 7

_Okay all…this is the second to the last chapter. Thanks again for your reviews!! _

Brennan had pulled a set of unidentified remains from the storage facility to examine. She didn't have any new cases and she had found herself staring at her computer screen for far too long, unable to pull her thoughts together enough to finish the chapter she was working on. She was hoping that if she started on an ID, the puzzle would help get her focused. She was sadly mistaken. She had been examining the same femur for an hour and still hadn't registered any findings.

"Dr. Brennan?" Zach popped his head into the exam room.

She looked up, glad for the distraction. "Yes, Zach?"

"Agent Sullivan is in your office, waiting to see you."

The sigh she heaved must have alarmed Zach because he stepped back. "I can tell him you're gone--or something. Do you want me to call Angela?" Zach was almost twittering in alarm.

"No, Zach. It's okay. Would you mind packing this skeleton back up?" Brennan knew it was better to just see Sully. Trying to avoid the situation was no good.

"Sure, Dr. Brennan. I'm sorry if I did something wrong by telling him to wait in your office."

She smiled at Zach's discomfiture. "No, you didn't. Really, Zach--it's okay."

When she reached her office, she saw Sully sitting at her desk, tapping a pencil rather quickly.

"Hi," she said simply.

He looked up and smiled briefly. "Hi, Tempe. I heard you had a 'rough morning'." He stood up and came to her, concern filling his eyes. "Are you okay?"

Brennan sighed. "Yes, I'm fine. How did you find out?"

"They brought a suspect in a while ago and I heard some of the guys talking about Booth questioning him. When I asked the one agent, he said Booth's partner had been in a run-in with the suspect earlier. I called here but no one was totally sure where you were. I got hold of Angela and she told me about it. I just wanted to see that you were okay." Sully took her hands in his and smiled gently.

"I'm okay. I got a little scratched up, that's all." She dropped his hands as she turned and moved to her desk.

He followed and stood, leaning against her desk. "So, have you given any thought to what I talked about the other night?"

"Yes. I don't know, Sully. It's a lot to ask: being on hold like that so much." She was tired and when she was tired, she tended to be more honest than normal. And she was _**really**_ tired right now, especially after last night's tossing and turning from trying to process everything.

"Tempe, I know it's a lot to ask, but I wouldn't do it if I didn't think we were so good together before." He touched her face, gently brushing her hair back.

"Yes, we _**were**_ good together. But it wasn't enough for you then, so why would it be enough now?" She was surprised at how he was pushing the issue.

"Why not give it a chance? Let's see what happens."

"I feel like you want me to be available when you're in DC and not mind you leaving whenever. That's not a relationship, Sully; that's a booty call," she replied, remembering Angela's words.

"I was hoping it would be enough to convince you to come with me so it wouldn't be that way," Sully replied earnestly.

Before she could reply, her phone rang and, glad for the distraction, she answered. "Hello?"

Sully stood up and walked over to her bookcase, perusing the many volumes she had on her shelves. It all looked fairly dry until he saw a few copies of her novels. Hearing Booth's name, Sully couldn't help but feel a little twinge of jealousy. She spent more time with him than anyone else. He flipped through the book he picked up from her shelf, just happening to land on a love scene between her two main characters. He cringed and flipped to the front of the book to see who was publishing her writing. He saw the dedication page and felt his throat tighten a bit. If they weren't an item, then she and Booth were either totally oblivious or totally insane. He flipped to the back of the book and a loose, folded page slipped out. Frowning, he unfolded it and saw her handwriting on it. Out of curiosity he read it over and felt his throat tighten even more. He glanced over at her, her back turned towards him as she continued to speak to Booth on the phone. Swallowing hard, he pocketed the piece of paper, closed the book, and returned it to its place on her shelf. He walked back over to her desk and picked up a picture of a little blonde-haired boy he'd never seen before.

She hung up the phone and turned back around to look at Sully. "Booth told me they got a full confession from both of the suspects. Each thought the other was giving him up, so they completely corroborated their stories."

"Does that mean you're safe?"

"Yes. Apparently, the body we found was one of their own. He was supposed to kill one of the House member's wives as a message. Apparently Representative Miller is spearheading an anti-drug campaign that starts in Colombia. One of the big cartels sent word to their American branch that they wanted Miller's wife killed as a warning. Our Juan Doe—Anthony Sanchez--was sent to do it, but couldn't bring himself to murder a woman so he backed out. Only thing is, he wasn't allowed to. The two guys in custody are novices coming in so they were told to kill Sanchez as a message to the rest of the gang. They did and when the body was discovered, they saw the news reports and were excited because it made them look good. They were given the go-ahead to pick another target, but it had to be a high profile woman, just to prove they wouldn't fail where Sanchez had. They saw me on the news and decided I'd do. That's how I got involved in this." Brennan shook her head. "I'm glad this is over."

Sully smiled. "I bet you are. So who's this?" Sully placed the picture back on her desk. "A nephew I didn't know about?"

"Actually, that's Parker…," she trailed off, feeling the awkwardness of the situation.

"Parker? Booth's son?"

"Yes. He insisted I have it. Booth has him calling me Bones, too," she laughed.

Sully nodded. "Tempe, I think I've caused you some grief that I never meant to." Here he straightened up.

Brennan frowned. "I don't know what you mean."

Sully smiled at her with what he hoped was an easy grin, even though inside he was ripped apart. "I think that every couple has a 'window of opportunity', if you will. It's the time period when they're perfectly matched and ready to move to the next level. It only stays open for a little bit and if they don't take that chance, it's lost and they can never get it back again." Sully came back around to her desk and held his hand out to her. She took it and he gently pulled her up to stand in front of him. "I hate to admit this, but I think our window has closed. Actually, I kind of get the feeling that maybe it was never really open in the first place."

Brennan frowned. "I still don't understand. You've changed your mind?"

Sully tried to manage another smile. "No, Tempe. But I think your heart is somewhere else. I should have realized it when I left--maybe I did, but I preferred to ignore it.

"I love you, Tempe. I have for a long time, but I didn't want to scare you away. I can say it now because I know it doesn't matter. I wish I was the one who has your heart, but wishing won't make it real. I'm going to say good-bye to you now. I doubt our paths will cross again, so I hope that if you think about me, it's with fondness." Sully leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her lips and then couldn't help himself but to take her in his arms for a final embrace. When he let her go, he smiled one more time and went to the door.

Brennan was still in shock, not really understanding everything he had said about windows opening and closing. What had registered in her mind was when he told her he loved her and was leaving. When he turned around at the doorway for a split second, she thought that he had changed his mind and was going to stay.

"Tempe--I know you're unsure of yourself in relationships, but you might have to be the one who steps forward in this one. Don't let that window close on you and Booth. I want to know you're happy."

And with that, he was gone.

Almost immediately, Angela appeared in the doorway. "What was _**that**_?"

Brennan turned and looked at her friend. "I don't think I really know. He told me he loved me, said something about windows being open, and said good-bye."

"He told you he loves you? And then what? What did you say?" Angela asked.

She shook her head. "I didn't say anything. He said he had wanted to tell me before but was afraid of what I'd do. He told me now because he said it didn't matter any more."

Angela frowned. "Why doesn't it matter? What was the open window stuff he was talking about? And I heard him say it about you and Booth."

Brennan sighed and sank into a chair. "He said every relationship has a window of opportunity where a couple can either move forward or, I guess, close the window. Wouldn't a door be a better metaphor?"

Angela made a sound very near to a growl. "Sweetie, I love you, but you're really dense some times, you know? Sully obviously sees the same thing we all do. But he made a good point, even if you don't like the metaphor. You and Booth are going to reach a point where, if you don't act on what you're feeling, you're going to lose your chance. I have to give Sully a lot of credit for recognizing it and stepping aside. Now, what are you going to do?"

Brennan looked up in shock. "What am I going to do?" she repeated.

"Well, you obviously can't wait for Booth to make a move. Maybe he's confused. You _**do**_ send mixed signals," Angela prodded.

"But it's _**Booth**_! He's my partner! What if it gets messed up? Look what's happened since he kissed me this morning! We're barely speaking," Brennan protested.

"That's because it happened under extenuating circumstances. You need to kiss him when there's no other strings attached. I mean, that is--if you really want to. Just how exactly do you feel about him?" Angela backtracked a bit. Of all the times she felt as though the two needed to get a room, she never really spoke seriously to her friend about her feelings.

"I don't know how to explain that. I've never felt this way about anyone before." Brennan was at a loss for words. There were so many things she felt and thought about him, she couldn't begin to sort them out. There was a definite sexual attraction, but there was so much more: companionship, understanding, forgiveness, humor, and perhaps most importantly, respect. Taking all of that in, what did it equal?

Angela had watched the emotions play over her friend's face. She knew what it was Brennan was feeling, but she couldn't be the one to explain it to her. Brennan had to figure it out for herself.

"Think about it, Bren. If it's something you want, maybe you should make the first move." Angela got up and went to the door. "It's getting late. Go home, have a glass or two of wine, relax--and think everything through. Give me a call if you make any decisions." And with that, her friend left Brennan to her thoughts.

Booth was rubbing his eyes and stretching when Sully walked into his office. He couldn't have been more wary if a rattlesnake had suddenly appeared.

"Sully. What can I do for you?" Booth asked, pushing his chair back from his desk and sub-consciously flashing his belt buckle du jour. He motioned to a chair on the other side of his desk, but Sully shook his head.

"Thanks, but no. Booth, I'm here to do something for you," Sully replied.

Booth frowned. "I don't know what you mean."

Sully snorted. "Now you're sounding like Tempe!" He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded paper. "Are you planning on telling her how you feel about her? I mean, any time soon?"

Booth sat forward. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" His tone of voice sounded a little on edge.

"Spare me, Booth. You don't need to bluster around me. You need to do something about this. If you don't step up now, it's going to be too late. I'm leaving after this case is done. I'm out of the picture because I know how she feels about you--I've always known. But you're either too blind or too stupid to realize it. Guess what? You keep playing this 'safe game', and someone is going to enter the picture and not leave. And you'll have no one to blame but yourself." Sully was brutally honest.

"Look--I don't know where you think you get off saying this stuff to me, but you better back off." Booth was _**not**_ amused.

"No, I'm not backing off, Booth! I love her too much to give up on this! You _**have**_ to listen to me!" Sully was angry.

At hearing him proclaim his love for her, Booth stopped short. "Why are you here?"

"I told you. I'm leaving soon--and not because I want to. It's because I love her and want her to be happy that I'm backing off. It's not _**me**_ she wants, Booth," he replied, looking pointedly at him.

"You don't know what she wants. Did she tell you?" Booth was in denial, but at the same time holding out hope that he was indeed leaving.

"No. She didn't tell me. She told you." Sully tossed the paper in his hand onto Booth's desk. "She doesn't know I found it and I know I'm probably crossing a line, but you need to know this. What you do with the information is up to you, but at least I know I've tried to ensure her happiness. God knows, that's all I want for her. And since I can't be the one who makes her happy, I'm trying to get the one person who does to step up."

Booth looked at the paper on his desk. "What is this?"

"Something you need to read," Sully said simply, turning to leave. As he reached the door, he said, without turning around, "Treat her right." And with that, he was gone.

Booth frowned, watching after him. That had to be the most surprising conversation he'd had in a long time. He looked at the paper again and finally picked it up, opening it slowly. He recognized Bones' handwriting right away, even though it seemed more cramped that usual. He saw it was a letter addressed to him and leaned forward to read it.

_Booth,_

_There's so much I've wanted to say to you, but have never really had the words to do so. Now, with so little time left, I'm angry with myself. I realize I've wasted so many chances--chances that I will probably never get again. So I'm sorry you're reading this instead of hearing it directly from me. But at least now you'll know._

Booth paused in his reading and looked up. Jesus, this had been written while she was trapped by the Grave Digger! She'd written this thinking it would be the last thing anyone would ever hear from her. What's more, with all the people she cared about, she'd written it to _**him**_. He felt as though he should stop reading it, but the good Catholic boy caved to the temptation and he looked back down at it.

_These last two years have been the most meaningful of my life and I have you to thank for that. You've given me a purpose. More than that, you've been a friend, confidant, and shoulder to lean on. You've never let me down--unlike so many others in my life. I think you know that and I don't want you blaming yourself for not finding Jack and me in time. Just knowing you were trying made us determined to do as much as we could to help._

_I have only one regret. I've felt so close to you--like we're truly partners in every sense of the word--that I only wish I'd had the courage to tell you this face to face. I've never had much experience with feelings like this, but I can recognize that the way I feel about you is far beyond anything I've ever felt for anyone. I regret that we never shared a kiss, that I never shared your bed, that I never said 'I love you'._

_Bones_

Booth read and re-read the last paragraph. Each time he read the last sentence, he felt more and more overwhelmed. "Oh my God," he whispered aloud. He sat staring at it for what seemed like hours, so many things going through his mind he couldn't focus on any one thing. The only sound he could hear was his own breathing as he kept staring at the paper. Then, standing up, he grabbed his jacket and left.


	8. Chapter 8

_I just wanted to take a few seconds and say thank you to all the people who've been reading this story. So many of you have taken time to write a review and each one has meant a lot to me! I hope I do the last chapter of this fic justice and no one shoots me for turning this to an M rating just to be safe. _

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_Angela had been right. Brennan had gone home and opened a bottle of wine, put on a Sinatra cd, and stretched out on her couch. She'd left only one dim light on and was halfway through her second glass of wine as she partially closed her eyes, allowing Ol' Blue Eyes' velvety voice to wash over her. She had decided to put her thoughts to the side. There was no use contemplating her situation when there seemed to be nothing she could do about it. So, instead of stressing herself even more, she decided to let everything go.

It was nearing midnight when she heard a very light tapping at her door. Frowning, Brennan sat up. Had she started to doze and imagined it? Again, a light tapping came to her ears; almost as if whoever was knocking didn't want to wake her. She stood up and went to the door. Upon seeing her partner on the other side, she frowned and opened the door. It was late: even for him.

"Booth, is everything okay?" Concern was evident in her voice.

He looked at her, confusion in his eyes. "Yeah--No--," He sighed. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure. Come in," she replied, stepping to the side to allow him in.

Booth walked in and nervously played with the zipper on his jacket. She came around and motioned for him to sit. "Want a glass of wine?" she asked.

"Yeah--that would be great," Booth replied, sitting back on the couch. As she went into the kitchen for another glass, Booth tried yet again to compose his thoughts. He'd spent at least an hour in his car just outside of her building trying to figure out how to open the topic. Then, he'd spent about twenty minutes longer outside her door. He thought she might be asleep, but had decided to knock anyhow. He'd almost hoped she wouldn't hear the tentative knocking. When she opened the door, Booth felt a moment of panic which he angrily clamped down on. It was ridiculous! This was Bones! _"Exactly!"_ came a little voice in his head. _"Don't mess this up!"_

"Here you go," Brennan said, handing him a glass of the red wine before joining him on the couch.

Booth took a sip, looking carefully at his partner. If she felt the way she said she did in her note, then why didn't he see the evidence of it in her face? _"Idiot--you've drawn that line and she's so literal she probably obeys it in every way!"_

"This is really nice. Is it a zinfandel?" Booth asked, buying a little time.

"Pinot Noir," Brennan replied. They sat in silence for a while longer and then she asked, "Booth, is something wrong?"

He looked at her and sighed. "No--I just--well, Sully stopped by to see me earlier."

Brennan arched an eyebrow. "He did? What did he say?"

Booth looked long and hard at his partner--his best friend. There was so much at stake, but Cam's words came back to him. He _**was**_ being selfish and unfair. He wanted her to himself but was afraid to express it. As long as she was single, he had her to himself and he didn't have to worry about leaving his comfort zone. And why did she make him so uncomfortable? Sighing, he opted to start.

"He told me he was leaving after the case wrapped up and that he wouldn't be back." He watched for a sign of regret but what he saw looked more like indifference.

"Oh. Yes, he told me the same," she replied. The last thing she'd expected Booth to say was that Sully had paid him a visit.

Booth nodded. "What else did you two talk about?"

Brennan didn't want to make Booth uncomfortable, but she also thought if she mentioned a few of the things Sully had said, she might be able to get a better read on his thoughts. "Well, he said something about opening and closing windows."

Booth frowned in confusion. "He did what?"

"He said he believed relationships have 'windows of opportunity' in them. If you don't act while the window is open, it can close and you don't get to open it again. He said that's what had happened to our relationship."

Booth blinked in confusion. "_**Our**_ relationship?"

"No--his and mine," she clarified.

Booth looked at her closely. "What do you think?"

"I think a door would be a better metaphor, don't you?"

Booth burst out in laughter as he felt the tension break. He looked at her confusion and smiled at her. _**This**_ was why he loved her.

"I meant, what did you think about your relationship with Sully being a closed window. Is that how you see it?" Booth clarified.

"Oh. Well, yes. When we went out the other night, he told me he wanted to pick back up from where we left off. And when he walked me to my door, I think he expected to be invited up." Here she trailed off, remembering how she hadn't wanted to do that primarily because she was worried of what Booth would think.

"What?" Booth had picked up on her seeming reluctance to finish a thought.

"It's nothing. When he gave me a kiss good-night, it felt--well--I guess I should really say it felt like nothing. It was like kissing my father," Brennan added.

"Or your brother," Booth added pointedly.

Brennan winced at that. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_! "Booth, I didn't really--what I meant to say was--," she blew out a breath in frustration. Turning to face him, she took a deep breath and said, "That's not how I felt--not at all."

"So, I'm confused. Did his kiss feel like kissing your dad/Russ/me or not?" Booth egged on.

"No--that's not what I was talking about! Kissing Sully felt like kissing my dad or Russ, but that ridiculous mistletoe kiss--well--kissing you wasn't like kissing my brother at all." She finally managed to straighten things out.

"Oh." He was silent for a moment then, "So what _**was**_ it like?"

Brennan swallowed, considering everything. Should she tell him the truth? "I don't know how to explain it. The mistletoe kiss was--interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Yes. It made me feel sort of--well, confused would be a good word."

"Oh." Not quite the glowing review he had in mind.

"But this morning?" she continued. "This morning took my breath away."

Booth stopped dead. Had she just admitted what he thought she had?

"Sully thought you and I were involved in a relationship when he and I first started dating and when he came back, he thought we were finally in one now. As a matter of fact, I believe his exact words were, 'So what finally made him act on his feelings?' I had a hard time convincing him we aren't together in that sense of the word." She bit down on her tongue. She had the feeling she was divulging far too much information.

"Did you ever wonder what it would be like?" The words were out of Booth's mouth before he could stop them. Or maybe he didn't _**want**_ to stop them.

Brennan returned his look and shrugged lightly. "I never really did because you seemed pretty adamant about that line."

He'd deserved that. He moved closer to her on the couch. "What if I changed my mind? What would you say?"

Her eyes had locked with his and she felt that electricity spark between them again. "Have you changed your mind?"

"I know I used to be worried about how a relationship would affect our partnership: especially if it went wrong. But I've come to realize if people don't take risks sometimes, there's a lot they can miss." Here he pulled the letter out of his pocket. He handed it back to her and she frowned as she opened it up and realized what it was.

"How did you get this?" She felt her face flush hot and a small stirring of anger flicked across her face. "You realize it was written under extenuating circumstances, right? I mean, Hodgins and I weren't sure we would make it…" She trailed off.

Booth reached over to take her hand in his, letting his thumb trace the veins on the back of her hand. "When Sully stopped by this afternoon, he gave it to me. I don't know how he came across it, but I'm not sorry he did. It made me start thinking about that discussion we had about finding that person you can 'defy the laws of physics' with--as you put it." He smiled. "We already share so much. What might it be like if we moved a little farther? I'm tired of casual dating."

Brennan felt her stomach tighten and she found herself at a loss for words. Booth smiled at her again, easily. To break the tension he said, "My mouth's a little dry. Would you mind if I get a glass of water?"

She shook her head and Booth got up and moved to her kitchen, primarily to give her a few moments to compose her emotions and thoughts. He retrieved a glass and began to fill it from the faucet when a feather light touch grazed his neck. He stopped dead as he felt Brennan trail soft little kisses down his neck and she placed her hands on his shoulders, slowly letting her hands drift down his muscular back to come to rest at his waist. She leaned into him to take his earlobe and lightly suck on it as her hands traveled around his waist to come together, just above his belt buckle. A gasp escaped him as he felt her pressing against him and suddenly he realized he was probably in way over his head.

He set the glass down a little harder than he'd intended and grasped the edge of the sink with both hands as Brennan continued her assault on his neck. Her hands slipped farther down and a small moan escaped his lips. In all the scenarios he had run through as to how things would go tonight, having _**her**_ make the first move on _**him**_ hadn't been one of them. If just this was causing him to feel like this, what would happen when he turned around to kiss her? And that's exactly what he did.

She wasn't sure where the idea to make the first move had come from, but once she decided to act on it, Brennan couldn't resist letting her hands wander his body. His shoulders, arms, back--she knew they'd be muscular, but she was amazed at how well-defined they really were. She decided she preferred him in tight-fitting t-shirts to his suits and her mind wandered as her mouth did. God, he smelled even better this close than he did when they were in his SUV! The spicy cologne mixed with another scent--something that was all Booth. And it turned her on more than anything else in her life. Her hands had worked their way lower to travel down the sides of his thighs, teasing him until he turned around to face her.

Their eyes met and Booth saw the challenge there in her eyes. His hands went to her waist and he pulled her closer to him, never taking his eyes from hers. She smiled once, almost as if to say, "Finally!" He leaned in slowly, only breaking eye contact to close his eyes as his lips lightly brushed against hers just once. He pulled away to look at her and caught her with her eyes still closed, reaching for more contact. Her eyes opened and saw him smiling that damned charm smile of his that could get her to capitulate in almost any situation. This wasn't one of those situations.

Her right hand slipped up his neck to weave into his hair, exerting gentle pressure to urge him back to her mouth. When their lips met this time, there was no denying who was leading whom. Brennan's mouth was open and she urged his to do the same. When her tongue slipped lightly between his lips, she felt his arms go around her, his right hand traveling up to rest between her shoulder blades and his left resting at her waist.

The taste of her was like nothing he'd ever experienced. It was fruity wine and cinnamon and her scent was all around him. He felt his control slip a notch as her tongue flicked over his lips and his hand slid up and around to her face, gently cupping it as he forced himself to pull away. He was breathing hard as he looked into her beautiful blue eyes--nearly gray now with what he had come to recognize as desire. He heeded to make sure she understood what this was to him. And what it was to her.

"Bones, I don't want you to misunderstand this. As much as I want to be here right now, I don't want this to make you think I--"

"Booth. You've made your views on this particular topic very clear. You don't get involved with someone unless you think there's the possibility of a relationship." She leaned in again to kiss him lightly along his jaw line.

Booth groaned and his hands moved of their own volition to her waist, pulling her to him. "Bones--I need you to know that I--God--I want you to--I--" He found it increasingly difficult to vocalize his thoughts.

"Booth," Brennan said, stopping her kisses and standing back enough to be able to look him in the eye. "I know what you want." Here she leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. Pulling back she took his hand in hers. Searching his eyes, she took a deep breath. "For the first time in a long time, I want it, too."

Booth felt a wave of excited relief rush through him. This incredibly intelligent, beautiful, funny woman--his best friend--wanted the same relationship he wanted with her. He leaned in to kiss her again and this time he gave in to the desire he had barely kept in check to this point. Her mouth opened under his and his right hand traveled up from her waist to rest just at her rib cage, his long fingers wrapping around toward her back as his thumb came to rest just under her breast. His other hand continued to pull her hips closer to his until their bodies were melded together. He felt her grind into him, her thigh rubbing against his and his thumb slipped up, grazing her breast through her t-shirt. A gasp escaped both their mouths at the contact of his thumb against her nipple. _Dear Lord, _he thought, _she's not wearing a bra._ At that revelation, he gave up all pretenses and cupped her gently in his hand. Then, trailing down away from her mouth, he bent to her throat. His tongue traced lazy circles to her collarbone where he lightly nipped at her skin.

Brennan was on _**fire**_. The moment his thumb had brushed against her, she felt the pooling heat in her stomach shoot both up and down, making her head spin and exciting her beyond anything she had experienced before. She felt a need to rub against him and, as she did, she had no doubt he was as excited as she was. When his mouth came down her neck--God, did he just _**bite**_ her?!--she gasped and felt her hands clutching at his waist. She found the bottom of his t-shirt and both her hands slipped up and under. His muscled abdomen felt even better than she'd imagined and she had the intense desire to feel his skin against hers. She tugged up on his shirt and he obliged her by taking it off in one, fluid move.

He watched her eyes darken even more and her hands left trails of fire as she slowly traced her way up from the hard muscles of his stomach to his chest and then up to his shoulders. He'd seen her intense scrutiny before, but never aimed at a living body--let alone his. He smiled at her. "Like what you see?"

She arched one eyebrow at him. "Yes, but looks can often be deceiving. I think I need a more in-depth examination under different lighting."

He laughed low and the chuckle vibrated in his chest. She took his hand, leading him from the kitchen to her bedroom. Once there, she turned back to him and pulled her own t-shirt off. He didn't mover for what felt like an eternity. Her pale skin looked luminescent in the dim light coming from the windows and he drew in a breath. She reminded him of an ancient sculpture of a Greek goddess: all alabaster and smooth. Diana perhaps? No. Definitely Athena--the goddess of wisdom. He laughed lightly and she frowned. Realizing she could misunderstand why he was laughing, he went to her, running his hands up her arms to her shoulders and back down to her hands. "I was just thinking how beautiful you are: like a goddess of Greek mythology."

Her frown smoothed out. "I was always partial to Athena."

His smile lit the room. "That's exactly who I was thinking of."

She returned his smile then finally gave in to her desire to feel his body against hers and stepped into his embrace.

He couldn't believe how perfectly she fit against him and Booth realized he'd never experienced this before. He buried his face in her hair, breathing deeply the scent that was uniquely hers. He couldn't resist touching that glorious, silken mass and he ran his hands through it, watching as it slipped from his fingers like a waterfall. He looked at her and felt his breath catch at the way she was looking at him. Her eyes were so different from a moment ago. Yes, there was still desire and passion there, but now there was something more. It was trust and trepidation mixed with innocence and experience and Booth felt his pulse quicken. He leaned in to capture her mouth and, as he did so, it finally registered that the skin of her body was against his. Her breasts pressed tightly against his chest and as his hands moved up her sides, feeling the length of her bare torso, he felt a growing fire in his body. The kiss gained urgency and he felt his desire begin to take over. Her body was pressed tightly against his and her hands had left the broad expanse of his chest to travel down to his belt. He experienced a moment of shock as he realized she was unbuckling it. This was really going to happen.

He felt her hands move to the snap and zipper of his jeans and as they loosened, his hands moved to her jeans as well. But before he could so much as unbutton them, she sat on the edge of her bed, pulling his jeans down as she did. She leaned in to his body, trailing kisses over his stomach and down his sides while reaching around and pulling him towards her.

He was pressed against her chest with nothing but his boxer briefs between her and his very obvious desire for her. Was she _**trying**_ to kill him? When her fingers worked their way into his waistband and started tugging at it, he swallowed hard and took a step back to oblige her. When he stood in front of her, completely divested of his clothing, he saw those eyes running over his body and finally look up to meet his.

"You're gorgeous," she breathed heavily, surprising them both at her candor.

Before Booth could formulate a reply, her mouth returned to his abdomen and soon was dipping lower and lower. Her tongue flicked inside his navel and then trailed down to tease him with a few long, light caresses. The deep moan that seemed to come from his entire body was all the encouragement she needed. Her hands left his thighs and traveled up to take him as she continued her ministrations with her tongue.

Booth felt his knees seem to buckle and when she finally stopped teasing him and took him completely in her mouth, he thought he was going to fall. While he was a good Catholic boy, he was no prude either. He'd been with women and he'd been on the giving and receiving end of this kind of attention. But, God help him, in his entire life he had never felt like _**this**_. He prided himself on his ability to control himself for his partner, but if _**this**_ particular partner continued for much longer, he was going to lose it.

"Jesus, Bones!" His hands went to her shoulders, exerting gentle pressure to push her away. "I want more than this and if _**you**_ don't stop, _**I**_ won't be able to!"

She laughed lightly and leaned back on her bed in invitation. He moved to lie next to her on the bed, propping his head up on his hand and tracing lazy circles on her abdomen, gradually moving lower and lower until his hand was between her thighs, exerting gentle pressure through her jeans. Her hands traced the muscles on his arms and then she pulled his mouth down to hers. When he pulled away briefly to look into her eyes, he noticed a change in her expression as well as her kiss. While there was definitely passion there, there was also something softer. He brushed a strand of hair to the side and gently touched her cheek with the back of his hand. Her eyes closed and she turned her face into his hand, kissing it as she did.

He captured her mouth again and slowly began working on the snap of her jeans. Once loosened, he tugged gently on them, slipping them down and off. His mouth moved from her mouth to her nipples to her stomach and back again as his hand slowly dipped between her legs, teasing her through her underwear.

She moaned and arched her back, seeking more physical contact from him. His teasing touch was driving her insane and she could think of little else but the fire he was igniting in her. When he moved on top of her to lay just against her, she nearly growled in frustration at still being clad in her underwear. His kisses turned more adamant and soon she was finding the need to have him inside of her more than she could bear.

"God, Booth--please--," she begged--perhaps for the first time in her life.

He felt her writhing beneath him and he hooked his finger in the offending garment and tugged it off. Her arms immediately went around him, pulling his body down on top of hers, luxuriating in the feel of him against her.

Booth closed his eyes, searching for control. She felt so good that just being against her was threatening to overwhelm him. Each time she ground her hips into his, the throbbing grew more intense. He felt like a teenager with his first time and tried desperately to think of something--_**anything**_--but the beautiful woman under him. He thought about the lab and some of the more gruesome cases he'd seen and it seemed to work: until she spoke.

"I want this so badly. God, Seeley, I want _**you**_!" She whispered fiercely.

His eyes snapped open and he saw hers staring back, clouded with desire. He leaned in to kiss her and then surprised her by rolling onto his back, pulling her on top and astride him. She gasped in unexpected surprised and then his hands were on her hips, guiding her up to hover over him. Her breasts were rising and falling with her uneven breathing and her eyes had closed in anticipation, but his voice broke through.

"Temperance--look at me," he commanded quietly and, at the tone of his voice, she obeyed without even thinking about it. She saw hunger and passion for her there, but she also saw sincerity and an intensity that went well beyond desire. He was telling her with his eyes that she was so much more to him than this: that the physical aspect they were about to enter into was just part of it. And she understood.

With their eyes on each other, he gently urged her down onto him and they both gasped at the same time. The feeling was overwhelming and both realized at the same time that this--the two of them together like this--was exactly what Booth had been talking about when they had discussed trying to be one.

"Oh my God," she whispered and her eyes closed momentarily as he moved deeper into her than any other man. He held that position within her for a few moments, savoring the feel of her and then he gently guided her up to bring her back down his entire length once again. Her eyes opened again and she took the rhythm over, her hands on either side of his stomach, bracing herself. His hands reached up to cup both her breasts, gently pinching and rolling her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. She lifted herself up entirely off of him until his eyes came back to hers and then she lowered herself again. A low groan came from his chest and it sent a thrill through Brennan that made her increase her speed. His hands went back to her hips and then one slid down between their bodies to offer her additional pleasure. She sucked in her breath sharply at the feel of his hand on her at the same time he was inside of her.

"Seeley--" she gasped out. His name on her lips again nearly sent him over the edge. She felt so incredible, he was having a difficult time keeping himself in check. He thrust inside of her as deeply as he could, continuing his ministrations and he felt her speed pick up. He knew she was close: and he was even closer. He shifted his thumb a bit and was rewarded with the feel of her hands tightening their grasp and her muscles contracting tightly around him as she moved even faster. It was going to be too much for him.

"Temperance--"he tried to warn, but suddenly her eyes flew open and his name came from her mouth again and again. Her throbbing pushed him right after her and he bucked his hips up against her hard, spilling the last of his self-control.

He stayed still for a long time, still buried inside of her, feeling her slowly relaxing around him. Her head was bent and her hair fell like a curtain around her face. Her breathing slowly returned to normal, but she didn't move. Booth let his hands gently rub her thighs and then he thought he heard a funny sigh come from her.

"Bones?" He switched back to his name for her out of habit. She looked up and concern flooded through him as he saw her eyes filled with tears. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and one tear spilled down her cheek. "Nothing. It's not logical."

Booth pulled her down next to him and turned to lean over her "Tell me. Please." As her silence continued he added, "Bones, this is _**really**_ bad for my self-esteem here. I've never been so bad that I made a woman cry."

At that, she laughed and he wiped the tears from her cheeks. More gently he urged, "Please--I want to know."

She looked into those deep brown eyes and saw concern: the same concern he always had for his partner and she decided to take a chance and open up. "What just happened between us--I've never felt like this. I don't mean achieving sexual satisfaction. I mean the emotional connection I feel. I've always felt close to you but after sharing this, I feel so--I don't know! I guess dependent--but in a good way. I want to touch you, feel you--I don't want to stop. I think I understand now, what you were trying to explain to me about being one with someone. But it scares me."

Booth felt his throat tighten at her words. He knew what it must have taken for her to admit her feelings and he wanted to be absolutely positive that he never let her down. She had put so much trust in him--he wanted her to know he would never do anything to break that. His hand went to her face and he tried to communicate everything he felt about her with that touch and with his eyes. What could he say to her without scaring her? He kissed her lightly on her cheek and looked long into her eyes.

"I feel the same, Temperance. I knew this was real, but I've never felt it until now. You and I--we have a special connection. We always have--I just never knew how to show you. You're funny, intelligent, beautiful--incredibly sexy. I've never known a woman like you. It took Sully and that note to make me realize I'd wasted enough time and if I didn't do something, I'd lose you forever. And now that we're together, I'm never going to let you go."

His quiet intensity calmed her down and she reached for him, kissing him. When they pulled away, she raised an eyebrow and he recognized that look.

"What?"

"You put funny before intelligence and beauty when you described me," she commented.

He smiled. "It's what I love most about you."

"What you love about me?" she questioned.

He lightly traced her jaw line. "Yes. I also love your smile, your eyes, the way you're so confident… But I think what I love most about you is knowing you can kick my ass."

She burst out in laughter and he flashed her his biggest charm smile.

"I think _**that's**_ what I love about you: your damn, 'look-at-me-and-tell-me-you-can-resist-me' smile! You _**always**_ get me to capitulate when you do that!" She replied.

"I _**knew**_ you loved it!" he returned, laughing.

She smiled and then he noticed a slight change in her smile and her eyes as her hand reached up to touch his face. "I do. I--love more about you, too." She was struggling, wanting to tell him what she had never told another man, but the words kept getting caught. It was terrifying to feel this way about someone.

He smiled gently at her. "I know. I love you, too."

She closed her eyes. She'd heard those words before but they had never meant what they did to her now, coming from him. And he knew how she felt, even though she couldn't say it herself. She opened her eyes when she felt the light kiss on the tip of her nose. Those eyes and that smile did things to her that should never have been possible. She reached for him and he held her, letting her lay her head on his chest. He smelled so good and his arms felt so right around her that before she could think twice, she whispered, "I love feeling this way--I love you."

His arms tightened around her and she heard him sigh. Then she added mischievously, "You think we could return to our study of physics? I'd like to see if it is possible to repeat our results of two things occupying the same space at the same time."

He laughed. She was definitely going to be the death of him! "Far be it from me to come between a scientist and her studies!"

Her hands started roaming his body, coaxing a response from him nearly immediately and, the last thought Seeley Booth had before turning his attention to more important matters was, "If she is the death of me, what a way to go!"


End file.
